


Tending to a Wounded Heart

by Minnievet



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, But he figures it out eventually, Emotional Support Iwa, For both Tendou and Iwa, Friends to Lovers, Iwaizumi Hajime is a Good Friend, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious Ushijima Wakatoshi, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Tendou Satori is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 56,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26936980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minnievet/pseuds/Minnievet
Summary: “Now, Iwaizumi-san, while I am flattered by your interest and must admit you’re very attractive, I must inform you my heart belongs to another, and I’m not sure your dear captain Oikaw-“ Satori wasn’t even able to finish his jest, as a fuming Iwaizumi interrupted him. A blush blooming from his hairline down to his neck.“I’M NOT HITTING ON YOU, DUMBASS!”...After being discovered in the midst of breakdown in the bathroom of Seijoh, Tendou Satori strikes up an unusual friendship with Iwaizumi who seems keen on helping Tendou navigate his own unrequited feelings, despite ignoring his own.All the while Tendou's  teammates are becoming more and more concerned with their blocker's new behavior and mysterious texting buddy.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Tendou Satori, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Semi Eita & Tendou Satori, Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 530
Kudos: 1315





	1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm pretty new to the Haikyuu fandom, but I fell in love with Shiratorizawa(especially Tendou) and Iwaizumi during my first watch through. So, this is pretty much an excuse to have my two favorite characters interact a bunch. Plus, I feel like there is a distinct lack of Jealous Ushijima in this fandom. I hope you enjoy!

Honestly, Tendou Satori could blame the way he was feeling on a lot of things. Afterall, this week seemed to be committed to making his life as miserable as possible. Not only had he started the week with a hundred serves due to a missed morning alarm, but he had also managed to stain his favorite sweatshirt in a moment of carelessness with a cup of coffee, jam his finger rather painfully blocking one of Wakatoshi’s spikes and crack the front screen of his phone in a poor attempt to jump away from the outstretched hand of a very enraged Semi Eita. It had been a series of unfortunate events topped off by the manga series he had been dying to read selling out minutes before he reached the store.

Yeah, so he could blame his terrible, awful, no good mood on any one of those things. He could blame it on one of those things, and no one would question him.

But, Tendou knew in his heart that it wasn’t any one of those little things that had him fighting back tears in the bathroom of Seijoh. No, it wasn’t spilled coffee or taped fingers that caused the Guess Monster to sprint away after they finished their final set to the bathroom.

It was Wakatoshi and his strange obsession with a certain stupid, obnoxious setter.

_You should’ve come to Shiratorizawa._

The phrase kept replaying in Tendou’s head like a broken record player, taunting him. He had heard it many times before. Wakatoshi had made his unhealthy fascination with Oikawa _very_ clear to his teammates. In fact, his little _crush_ was a popular joke among the members of Shiratorizawa with little jabs and jibes shot at Wakatoshi about if he thought his pretty setter would finally accept his proposal. Whenever a comment would be made, Wakatoshi, the oblivious giant he was, would just furrow his eyebrows with a little tilt to his head and question why Oikawa’s attractiveness had anything to do with his willingness to join them. If he wanted to join them, physical attractiveness had nothing to do with it.

Despite the itch of jealousy in his chest, Tendou usually could handle Ushijima’s comments. He’d usually even let out a few taunts of his own, as he was never one to pass up a chance to mess with their ace despite his nonreactions. Afterall, he was Wakatoshi’s best friend, and even though he wasn’t the best at showing it, Tendou knew that Wakatoshi cared about his teammates. Oikawa was a talented setter, sure, but he hadn’t chosen Wakatoshi. Tendou had. In that aspect, Tendou always considered himself the victor of Wakatoshi’s heart.

But something about hearing it today was too much for Satori.

Shiratorizawa had been invited to play a few practice games with a few other schools in the region in preparation for the InterHigh tournament in the coming months. Washijou wasn’t one to typically accept invitations from other regional high schools, but the promise of Seijoh as the host and thus Oikawa being present had made him change his mind at the last minute. Truth be told, the game itself had put Tendou in a better mood than before. While he had to pretend not to see Wakatoshi's longing glances at Oikawa, he did get to taunt his favorite victims over the net. Seijoh’s blockers had always been practically easy for him to rile up, and it showed as he blocked match point, winning Shiratorizawa the game. Still riding the winning high with a grin pulling at the corners of his face, Tendou had turned to Wakatoshi for praise. An excited _Wakkun_ had died on his lips as he saw his ace locked in a staring match with the opposing setter.

_You should’ve come to Shiratorizawa._

The words had made such an ugly emotion bubble inside of Satori that he had quickly excused himself to the bathroom, citing stomach problems to a worried looking Semi. As he sprinted to the bathroom, he kept repeating to himself that it was fine. Wakatoshi was _his_ teammate, not Oikawa’s. There was nothing to be jealous of. Today, his own personal affirmations didn’t work. The words Wakatoshi uttered kept prancing around head like some kind of twisted melody. It made him want to punch something. _Hard_. Or, maybe, cry. His body honestly hadn’t decided which emotion to pursue yet. All he knew is that he needed to get it under control because his teammates would be expecting him on the bus soon, and he couldn’t face them like this.

Satori looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes red and shiny with unshed tears, and his pale cheeks flushed with frustration. A grimaced marred his face. Heartbreak really wasn’t his look. Gripping the cool edge of the sink, he scrunched his eyes closed and took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

_Wakkun cares about you. So what, if he has a little crush on Oikawa, he’s your best friend. That trumps everything else. Oikawa doesn’t even like him._

Satori was trying to be reasonable. He was trying to talk himself down before he blew himself into hysterics, but the image of Wakatoshi’s handsome face as he uttered those words were plastered behind his eyelids. The fire, the heat in his eyes whenever he talked to Oikawa have never and would never be directed at Tendou.

_Shit._

Apparently, his body decided which emotion to pursue as previously unshed tears began to roll down hot and wet onto his cheeks, and Satori tried to shut his eyes tighter to keep them in. This was just embarrassing. Here he was, the great Guess Monster of Shiratorizawa, crying in the bathroom of their rival high school because a boy didn’t like him back.

_This is rock bottom._

As if his luck couldn’t get any worse, the door of the bathroom slammed open. Twisting around, Tendou was greeted with the sight of Seijoh’s ace, slack jawed and staring blankly at him in the doorway.

“What? Did you just get your heartbroken too?” Tendou quipped noticing the man’s bleary eyes and ruddy nose but winced internally at how wobbly his voice sounded.

The ace blinked a couple of times, still startled by Tendou’s presence.

“Uh, no. It’s just allergies.”

The man awkwardly shifted his weight between his two feet before shuffling to a bathroom stall. Tendou turned back towards the mirror and tried to ignore the sounds of man blowing him nose in the background. His face was still red, but at least the tears could be wiped away easily. Turning on the tap, Satori patted his face with cool water in hopes to dull the redness and caught Seijoh’s ace sneaking out of the bathroom stall towards the exit.

Honestly, Tendou was a little relieved that the man hadn’t questioned him though his ears burned thinking about the news that the Guess Monster was crying in the bathroom getting spread around Seijoh. Maybe this was karma’s way of punishing him for being an ass to his opponents. He couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it if that was the case.

“Are you okay?”

The voice startled Tendou, as he realized the man, Iwaizumi, had not left but instead was turned towards him from beside the closed door. The guy looked visibly uncomfortable with his fingers tapping nervously on his leg. His eyes refusing to make contact with Tendou’s.

“Do I look okay?” Tendou responded. He knows that he really should just say yes and give the man an excuse to leave guilt-free, but how air-headed do you have to be to observe a person in Satori’s state and ask them that question. He knew Seijoh players were a bit slow on the uptake, but he thought that only pertained to volleyball.

“Ah,” Iwaizumi mumbled. His ears bright with embarrassment, as he now chose to look at the ground and scuff his shoe against the tile. “Should I get one of your teammates or something?”

“No!” Tendou exclaimed before he could stop himself, but panic was welling inside of him at the thought. Best case, Iwaizumi manages to find Reon or Semi who would be worried but wouldn’t pry too much until he was ready to share. Worst case, he brings Wakatoshi who would bring all the feelings to the surface or Goshiki who would wail and pester him until he told him what had happened to make his senpai cry. He tried to recover from his outburst, clearing his throat. “I mean, I’d prefer you don’t bother my dear teammates with this.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Iwaizumi spoke slowly like he was talking to a child, and Tendou recognized the look on his face as one he used when wrangling Oikawa, “You are self-admittedly not okay, but you don’t want me to get your teammates or anything to help you. Do I have that right?”

Tendou stared dumbly at him and nodded.

_Where was this going?_

Iwaizumi sighed and dragged his over his face before rummaging through his bad. As he searched, Tendou swore he muttered something along the lines of “why do I always get stuck with these people”. After fishing out a scrap of paper and a pen, Iwaizumi jotted something down and stalked over to Tendou, pressing the folded paper into his hand. Seijoh’s ace looked expectantly at him, and curious, Tendou unfolded it to find Iwaizumi’s name and phone number scribbled in a rough font.

“Now, Iwaizumi-san while I am flattered by your interest and must admit you’re very attractive, I must inform you my heart belongs to another, and I’m not sure your dear captain Oikaw-“ Satori wasn’t even able to finish his jest, as a fuming Iwaizumi interrupted him. A blush blooming from his hairline down to his neck.

“I’M NOT HITTING ON YOU, DUMBASS!” Iwaizumi barked before taking a step back to regain his composure. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, or why you don’t want your teammates to know, but you’re obviously not in a good headspace if you’re having a breakdown alone in a bathroom. If you don’t want to talk to your teammates and don’t have anyone else, you have my number now, and you can text me if you need to talk.”

Tendou swallowed a lump in his throat. It wasn’t often he was shown kindness, especially by people he famously loved pissing off, but he still couldn’t help from asking, “I was under the impression you didn’t like me very much.”

Iwaizumi chuckled.

“I don’t. Your blocks are annoying as hell, and I just genuinely think you’re just kinda an ass,” Iwaizumi candidly spoke, as he made his way back towards the exit. “But no matter how obnoxious I think you are on the court, no one deserves to be alone if they’re struggling.”

Having made his point, Iwaizumi heaved the door open and walked out, but as the door was closing, he turned back and cracked a grin at Tendou.

“Please don’t make regret giving you my phone number.”

The door closed, and Tendou was left speechless, staring at where Iwaizumi had just left.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Tendou found his way back to the bus a couple of minutes after Iwaizumi left. He found that his interaction with Seijoh’s ace had pleasantly distracted him from his previous thoughts. While his eyes were still a bit puffy, and his face still carrying a pink hue, he felt like he could comfortably board the bus without too many questions.

As he boarded the bus, Semi shot him a concerned look which he ignored in favor of ruffling a distracted Goshiki’s hair. Goshiki squawked at him, but he simply grinned and made his way to his seat next to Ushijima.

Ushijima perked up at the sight of Tendou.

“Tendou, are you alright? Semi said you disappeared right after the game,” Wakatoshi’s worry filled Satori up with glee, even though he knew it was simply captainly concern. A man could dream He slid into the seat next to his captain and crooned.

“Aww, Wakakun, were you worried about me?”

“Of course, Tendou. I am glad you are okay.”

The rest of the ride was quite with most of the team beginning to doze off as the sun set in the distance. Wakatoshi stayed awake, enjoying the scenery rippling by outside the window, and Tendou sat next to him, enjoying the sight of Wakatoshi’s features outlined in the heavenly gold of the setting sun. Though his enjoyment of the beauty of his captain was slightly marred by the weight of the paper in his pocket. He should really just toss Iwaizumi’s number, pretend that this day never happened and move on with his life, but Tendou wasn’t stupid. His crush on Ushijima was not going to fade with time, and he had no plans on telling him or anyone else on the team in any near future.

Maybe it would help to have a soundboard for his feelings. Someone to talk to about this stupid crush that wouldn’t blab to everyone on his team. Someone completely outside of everything.

Glancing over at Wakatoshi to make sure he was still distracted by the scenery, Satori whipped out his phone and shot Iwaizumi a text.

**MiracleBoi:** hi iwaizumi-san thank u for ur phone numberヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

Almost immediately he got a reply.

**Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** dont abuse it.

Satori couldn’t help but grin.

**MiracleBoi:** heyyy, now that i have ur phone number, can i call you iwa-chan like oikawa??? (ノ*°▽°*)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** i can and will block you.

 **MiracleBoi:** but its such a good name, iwa-chan!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

plz don’t block me

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** don’t make me.

Satori huffed out a laugh. Who knew Seijoh’s ace somehow managed to type exactly as he spoke? Such aggression in so few words. Deftly, Satori glanced back up at Ushijima before he typed out his next messaged and was pleased to see him still engrossed in the scenery.

**MiracleBoi:** Wanna know a secret iwa-chan???? w(°ｏ°)w

im in love with Wakakun

u cant tell anyone or i will be sad again and it will be ur fault (μ_μ)

but im tired so tell me what u think about it tomorrow

gn iwa-channnnn!!!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

With his last message sent, Satori clicked his phone screen off. His heart was thundering against his chest at the realization that he had just admitted to the first person besides himself that he was in love with Wakatoshi. His lips curled up into a proud little grin despite the uneasiness curling in his stomach. Leaning his head against the back of the seat, Satori closed his eyes and hoped that Iwaizumi was really honest about his offer.


	2. Avoidance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being way longer than expected. I hope you enjoy!

“Tendou, are you feeling okay? Your blocks have been off all morning.”

Despite shooting Tendou worried glances all throughout their morning practice, Reon had waited until their third and final water break before approaching him with a hushed voice and a calming hand on his shoulder. The gentle concern in his eyes made guilt gnaw at Tendou. He hadn’t meant to let his gameplay suffer. He was just very distracted. Distracted and oh so very anxious.

“It’s a Saturday morning, and we’re being punished for allowing Seijoh to reach twenty points in a practice game, Reon,” Satori drawled as he patted the hand resting on his arm, “Is anyone on this team truly feeling okay?”

The man was unamused by his quip and leveled a serious gaze at Satori.

“At your worst, letting three of Tsutomu’s spikes slip past you untouched is a lot.” Reon leaned closer and dropped the volume of his voice further. “Tendou, everyone has noticed. Wakatoshi even mentioned something about it.”

Tendou winced. Having Wakatoshi notice and comment on his shoddy gameplay hurt more than he was willing to admit. Why couldn’t he have an off day without coming under the microscope of his entire team?

“How did you end up as the lucky duck to confront me?” Tendou twittered, though the question dripped with sarcasm.

Reon chuckled slightly.

“We drew straws,” he remarked. The concern in his eyes mixing with a quiet humor, as he gave Tendou’s back a hearty pat. “Though, Eita did seem a little irritated that he wasn’t bestowed the honor.”

Tendou glanced over Reon’s shoulder and spotted glaring Semi from his position next to Goshiki across the gym. Ever since the game last night, Tendou had been actively avoiding the man, even going as far as forcing himself to go to bed at eight o’clock sharp to dodge his roommate’s probing questions. It was only a matter of time until Semi managed to corner him, and he only hoped that he’d be able to lie his way out of Semi beating his ass.

Turning his attention back to Reon, he quipped, “Are you sure? I think that might just be Semisemi’s face.”

His comment elicited another chuckle from Reon, but he was dismayed to see that the serious look from moments before had returned after his laugh finished. His hand returned to Tendou’s shoulder, which Tendou now realized was supposed to be comforting gesture on Reon’s part.

“We’re all worried about you, Tendou. Ever since the game yesterday, everyone on the team has noticed that something has been bothering you,” Reon’s voice was so filled with kindness it made Tendou’s teeth ached. “I’m always here if you need to talk about something. I won’t even tell Eita or Wakatoshi if you don’t want me to.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I promise,” Tendou sang, brushing off Reon’s hand, “I just stayed up to late reading some manga. By next practice, Miracle Boy Satori will be back and better than ever.”

Reon’s mouth curled downward in doubt, but Tendou was saved from further discussion by Washijo calling everyone back from the court. Tendou sent a cheery smile at Reon and slipped away from his grasp. As he jogged to line up with their other teammates for their final drill of the day, he couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief at being able to escape further questioning. He had enough on his mind without his teammates trying to force him to talk about his feelings in a healthy way. He was much more content to stew in his anxiety until practice was over. Plus, stewing was a lot easier than explaining that the source of said anxiety was an unopened text message from the ace of Seijoh sitting in his locker.

An unopened text message that had been sent to him fourteen hours ago.

In his defense, he really hadn’t meant to leave Iwaizumi’s text unopened for fourteen hours and counting. With the announcement from Washijo that they would have an extra practice tomorrow morning, Tendou had decided his best course of action to head back straight back to the dorms and sleep like the dead, or at least pretend to, to avoid Semi’s questions. Then, he would wake up early and read Iwaizumi’s message in the morning right before the practice. That way Iwaizumi would have plenty of time to send any follow up messages, if he wanted, and Tendou wouldn’t have to deal with any of the accompanying feelings until the next morning.

Bright and early the next morning with gym bag in tow, Tendou snuck out past his sleeping roommate to read the message somewhere he wouldn’t be interrupted. However, as Tendou’s fingers hovered above the unopened message, he realized he had made a grievous miscalculation.

The adrenaline and courage that had allowed him to confess his secret feelings to Iwaizumi had fizzled out into doubt and regret by the time morning came. His mind was bogged by questions and fears of if Iwaizumi had been genuine with his offer of help and if he was genuine, how he would react to him being in love with someone who Oikawa disliked so strongly. Oikawa was his best friend, and his dislike of Ushijima was no more secret than Ushijimia’s admiration of him. The new realization that he may have made a massive mistake trusting Iwaizumi his most closely guarded secret made him chew on the nail of his thumb and stare blankly at his home screen, wondering what to do. He couldn’t exactly go back and unsend the message. By the time he convinced himself he should rip the bandage off and just read it, his thumbnail had been chewed to a stub, and practice was staring in fifteen minutes. Tendou had decided to tuck his phone away in the pocket of his gym bag and ignore it until after practice.

Iwaizumi had waited this long; he could wait a couple more hours.

However, ignoring it had ended up being a harder task than he had imagined, as his mind seemed unable to stop thinking about every possible sentence that the message could contain. He was able to keep his distracted state under control for the first couple minutes, but the longer practice dragged on, the more his control waned. His fingers wouldn’t stop anxiously tapping the side of his leg, and his eyes kept darting up to check the time of the clock on the wall. With every tick of the clock’s hands, Tendou’s blocks were getting sloppier, and his reaction time more delayed. He could feel the looks of both his teammates and coaches resting on his back whenever it was turned, and all Tendou could do was hope and pray the practice was going to end soon.

Reon had hardly made his anxiety better knowing his entire team was fretting about his well-being.

After a few more serves that were far from his best, whatever god there was decided to take pity on Tendou as one of the assistant coaches blew the whistle to signify the end of practice. Tendou was practically vibrating in place as the coaches droned on in their end of practice team meeting, but with the wave of Washijo’s hand, they were released. Tendou booked it to the locker room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tendou wondered if his fortune had finally changed.

Within fifteen minutes of practice ending, he had managed to get washed, changed, and back into his dorm without one uncomfortable encounter from his teammates. Of course, Semi and Reon had worn matching looks of concern the entire time, but neither had been able to approach him in chaos of the locker room.

However, his true test of luck now lay behind his lock screen.

Sitting down on the unkempt sheets of his bed, Satori anxiously thumbed his phone’s power button and ogled the unopened message notification from Iwaizumi.

_The longer you avoid this the worse you’re going to feel, Satori._

Screwing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath, Tendou pressed the pad of his finger against the rectangular box on his screen and swiped up. The soft click of his phone being unlocked was all Tendou heard, as time seemed to stall for a moment. One of his eyes peaked open to read the message.

**Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** do you want to talk about it?

The breath he was holding was released with a wheezing chuckle.

_I’m such a fucking idiot._

His chuckle became an ugly chortle as all of the stress and anxiety he had been feeling this entire morning melted away and was replaced with sweet, sweet relief. Relief and a tiny bit of shame. He should have never doubted Iwaizumi. The man had been steadfast and honest from the moment Tendou first met him, even when they were enemies. He was aggressive, sure, but not cruel. Still, knowing that he had such a gentle reaction to Satori’s confession warmed him to his very core. There was no judgement or disgust. Just acceptance.

He shot back a quick reply.

**MiracleBoi:** not right now, iwa-chann

i just wanted to share my super special secret with someone super special (*/ω＼)

now u get to be my super special secret keeper (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

With the message sent, Tendou moved to set his phone down and relax until Semi came back to chew him out when his phone vibrated. Curious, Tendou checked his messages, only to be surprised to have a new message from Iwaizumi.

**Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** who the fuck waits 14 hours to respond after dropping a bomb like that

Satori snorted at the pure aggression radiating from the text.

**MiracleBoi:** aww iwa-chan were u worried about lil ol me??? (*/ω＼)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** stop calling me iwa-chan or i’ll drive down to shiratorizawa and beat your ass myself

and trust me, i already really want to beat your ass for disappearing for 14 hours

 **MiracleBoi:** what did i do to deserve such aggression iwa-chan????? (μ_μ)

oh wait, is the name only reserved for oikawa?? (＠_＠)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** tendou, i swear to god

 **MiracleBoi:** boo ur no fun ( `з´ )

but dont worry im alive and well

coach was disappointed by our gameplay and wanted to punish us with practice ヽ( `д´*)ノ

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** and that took 14 hours?

 **MiracleBoi:** i had to get my beauty sleep too (´ ∀ ` *)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** youre the worst

and that’s coming from me

oikawa is my best friend

do you understand that

i spend hours with shittykawa everyday and youre still worse in a span of 5 minutes

 **MiracleBoi:** aww u and oikawa have the cutest pet names for each other (*/ω＼)

A rough knock at Tendou’s door interrupted his conversation with Iwaizumi. Thinking he may have imagined it for a second, Tendou sat up and waited for a second knock of confirmation.

It wasn’t that visitors were completely unexpected, but they certainly weren’t common at Tendou-Semi household. Both he and Semi preferred Reon and Wakatoshi’s room to study and hang out in, as their own room tended to be more on the messy side. Their only other common visitor, Shirabu, flat out refused to come and visit their room anymore after a rather unfortunate incident involving Tendou’s forgotten leftovers and a long weekend. The few times Wakatoshi or one of their other teammates were actually in their room, Tendou was the dragging them there. People typically didn’t show up unexpectedly at his door. He was usually the one showing up unexpectedly at their door.

_Maybe Semi just forgot his key?_

However, as a second knock sounded, Tendou shook the thought from his head.

_Semi would be breaking down the door now if that was the case._

Clicking his phone off and tucking it into his pocket, Tendou padded over to greet the guest. His bare feet slapping against the tiled floor. He grasped the door handled and jerked the door open just wide enough to peak at the person outside. However, upon seeing his visitor, Tendou’s mind went blank.

“Wakatoshi?”

The name slipped out without much thought, and Tendou aggressively rubbed his eyes before looking at the man again, as if confirming that he actually was standing there and was not some figment of Tendou’s own imagination. At the mention of his name, the captain perked up ever so slightly, but Tendou was alarmed by the unrest dancing just beneath the surface of his eyes.

“Hello Tendou, if it’s not too much trouble, could I come in and talk with you?”

Tendou nodded dumbstruck and swung the door open. Wakatoshi stepped in past him and walked over to his desk before pulling out the chair to sit down. Tendou in turn closed the door behind him and turned to stare at his captain. Though his shock was still numbing his senses, Tendou couldn’t help but admire Wakatoshi. Even dressed in a pair of casual grey sweats and seated awkwardly in a chair too small for his large frame, he was completely and utterly handsome. His olive eyes were hooded as he examined a stain on the floor with his dark eyelashes almost kissing his cheek. Still damp from the shower, his dark hair was roughly combed to the left to expose his forehead, and his skin carried the sweet smell of mint. 

“Not that I don’t enjoy a surprise visit,” Tendou said slowly. His brain still catching up with the situation that was unfolding in front of him, “but what brought you to my humble abode, Wakatoshi?”

Wakatoshi gazed up at Tendou from his sitting position. A conflict warring in his eyes, as he spoke carefully, “Have I done something to upset you?”

Any thoughts Tendou had been developing slammed to a halt as he blankly stared at Wakatoshi.

“Heh?”

Ushijima’s shoulders tensed slightly, and his stare grew more intense.

“You haven’t spoken to me all morning,” Ushijima articulated, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, “I was concerned that I had done something to upset you. If I did, I would like to apologize.”

Tendou was aghast. His body and brain battling between feelings of guilt and shock. However, guilt was starting to win out the longer he stared at the very distressed Wakatoshi in front of him.

_Is that possible? Have I really not said anything to Waka-kun all morning? I always tell him good morning._

Though, now that Tendou was actually thinking about it, he had been a rush to get to practice. Afterall, his little failed excursion to read Iwaizumi’s message had almost led to him being late. Once practice had started, he had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t really spoken to anyone until Reon had approached him. After practice, he had been more concerned with avoiding Semi on his way back to the dorms that he hadn’t even remembered seeing Wakatoshi in the locker room. His stomach dropped with the realization.

_Oh shit. I really did ignore him all morning._

“Tendou?”  
While Tendou had been pondering, Ushijima stood up and made his way over to the red-headed man. Worry pulling at the edge of his mouth, and his hand was halfway outstretched, as if he had wanted to reach out and touch Tendou then changed his mind at the last minute.

“Sorry Wakatoshi, I guess I’ve been distracted all morning,” he laughed, scratching the back of his head with a movement that he hoped looked casual, “You haven’t done anything. I just stayed up too late reading some manga. That’s all. I’m not upset with you.”

“Are you positive, Tendou?”

Wakatoshi’s eyes were scanning his for any trace of doubt.

“Of course, Waka-kun,” Tendou sang, but upon seeing Wakatoshi’s still doubtful expression, quickly added “I’d always tell you if you did something that upset me. We’re best friends Afterall.”

The lie tasted bitter leaving his lips, as there was a very big something he was ignoring, but Wakatoshi seemed satisfied. All of the tension melted away from his posture, and his expression relaxed back into neutrality. His hand reached out to pat his shoulder. A gesture Tendou found incredibly endearing, as he was sure Wakatoshi had learned it from watching Reon.

“I am very glad, Tendou. You are a very important person to me,” Wakatoshi expressed. His eyes wide and honest, and his large hand was warm against the bare skin of Tendou’s shoulder. Tendou’s heart was doing gymnastics in his chest, practically hammering against his ribs to run free, but the joy settled bittersweet in his stomach.

_You can’t keep doing this to me, Wakatoshi. You can’t keep giving me this hope._

Wakatoshi left a couple minutes after, stating that Reon and Semi had made lunch plans with him. He said they had extended the invitation to Tendou, but Tendou just shook his head and shooed Wakatoshi out of the door with the excuse that he needed some to catch up on the sleep he missed. However, the moment the door was closed on Wakatoshi, Tendou slumped to the ground, resting the back of his head against the cool metal of the dorm frame and bit back the melancholy tightening his throat.

It wasn’t Wakatoshi’s fault that he had these feelings. The man wasn’t frivolous with his social interactions. Wakatoshi only spoke when he knew what he wanted to say and meant every word. There was no flirtation or teasing behind his words that could’ve confused Tendou. No, Wakatoshi was just his own honest, blunt self. It just so happened that that honest, blunt self was really good at making Tendou fall in love with him.

So, Tendou was stuck hopelessly in love with a man who not only considered him as just a friend but was also obsessed with someone who was in every way Tendou’s opposite.

 _I am so fucked._

With shaky fingers, Tendou pulled out his out his phone and scrolled to Iwaizumi’s number before pressing the icon to dial. After the first couple rings, someone on the line picked up the phone with a gruff voice.

“What do you want?”

“Hey, Iwaizumi. I changed my mind,” Tendou hummed, trying to sound lighthearted despite the clear tension in his voice. “Can I talk about it?”

“Are you okay, Tendou?” Iwaizumi’s voice lost its gruffness and turned into something that was unnaturally gentle, like a man trying to coax a wounded animal into trusting him. A metaphor that Tendou felt fit the current situation a little to well, but the kindness in his words made tears begin to prickle at the corners of his eyes. He was tired of feeling wounded by jealousy every time Wakatoshi mentioned Oikawa. He was tired of trying to convince his teammates that he was okay despite the opposite being true. But, most of all, he was tired of trying to deal with all of these stupid, confusing feelings alone.

“No,” Tendou choked out, and tears began to flow freely down his cheeks, “I’m really not okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Thank you for all of the kind comments. I cannot tell you how many times I reread each and every one of them. It literally made my entire week that people read and enjoyed my story. I am planning on continuing the story. I'm just a doofus and marked the story as complete. Hehe Oops. I'm planning on writing at least seven to eight chapters for this story, but that may change depending on if I want to alter the plot line. I'll try to update at least every two weeks, but that may be sooner depending on if I have time. I am a full-time college student, so please bear with me if I'm a little late on the updates. 
> 
> Once again, just thank you a lot for reading. I'm a pretty shy person, so I've always been hesitant to post anything here, but seeing comments and kudos made me really happy I did. I'll try to respond to comments individually in the future!! Just thank you again.


	3. Growing Suspicion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in my theoretical computer science class. I will probably regret that choice during my midterm, but I hope you enjoy! :)

It had been exactly two weeks since Tendou had received Iwaizumi’s phone number, and he couldn’t really figure out how he had survived so long without him. The man had already weaseled his way into a permanent spot in the redhead’s everyday life. What had started with a call by a distressed Tendou and a patient conversation about Wakatoshi had blossomed into a genuine friendship. Every waking hour that was not occupied by school, volleyball, or manga was spent texting Iwaizumi or joking on the phone when Semi was gone visiting Shirabu. Conversation flowed freely as they bounced around from discussing Oikawa’s antics to the new show Tendou was watching to which shounen protagonist Iwaizumi would be able to beat in an arm-wrestling contest. Iwaizumi, despite his gruff exterior, was a careful listener and would actively participate in whatever conversation topic Tendou dragged him into. Tendou often wondered if it was a habit he was forced to learn growing up alongside Oikawa, but, whatever the case, Tendou found that he begun to really treasure Iwaizumi as a friend. It was almost like his first friend in a lot of ways.

While Tendou cared dearly about his teammates and considered them close personal friends, there was always a lingering fear that they only tolerated because of exposure. He had never had many friends growing up due to his odd appearance and even odder behavior. Kids were cruel, and as much as he wanted to deny it, their teases and taunts had left Tendou with lasting scars on his psyche. Lasting scars that kept him up at night as he wondered if the members of Shiratorizawa would abandon him the moment volleyball ended. Afterall, there would be no need to put up with his antics if they weren’t forced to play with him ever day. He knew that it wasn’t fair to them. They were always accepting of him, even if they didn’t always understand it. It was a stupid fear fueled by his less than ideal childhood, but trauma wasn’t known to be reasonable

Iwaizumi was just the first person to actively seek out his friendship, albeit originally out of pity. It was nice to have someone who seemed to enjoy his company without any obligation attached to it. Doubt over Iwaizumi still ate at the corners of his mind, but there was no fear that the friendship was only born out of pleasantries. It seemed almost too good to be true.

Which was why, despite their probing questions, Tendou was still hiding his blossoming friendship from his team.

“Hey Tendou, why won’t you tell us who you’re texting all the time?” Yamagata questioned, as he pulled on his shirt from his position next to Tendou. “Did you get a girlfriend without telling us or something?”

Shiratorizawa had just finished their final practice of the week. All of the members, minus Wakatoshi, were buzzing at the promise of a practice free weekend. Conversations of weekend plans were whirling throughout the locker room, as most rushed to get dressed and enjoy what was left of their Friday evening. Only a couple of second and third years lingered. Tendou, whose weekend plans solely included convincing Iwaizumi to watch one of his recommended shows, moved languidly and checked his messages. He was smirking at Iwaizumi’s rant about Oikawa’s fangirls interrupting their practice again when Yamagata had noticed his lack of urgency and commented on it.

“Nah, it’s just a friend, like always,” Tendou hummed and tucked his phone away from prying eyes before continuing to pack away his volleyball gear. Internally, he cursed the fact that his teammates had picked up on his texting habits.

“Friend? You don’t have friends,” Shirabu drawled with his back facing Tendou, but when Semi turned and leveled him with a sharp glare, helpfully tacked on, “Besides the team, of course.”

“I resent that implication. Many people find me a joy to be around,” Tendou pouted, “Just because people find you prickly doesn’t mean you’re allowed to project onto me.”

Shirabu looked ready for a retort when Semi intervened.

“Kenjirou, stop being such a brat. You know Tendou will win whatever fight you pick, and Tendou, you’re just being an ass for the sake of it,” Semi grumbled. The younger setter glowered in response and slammed his locker door, as he stormed out with bag in tow. Semi sighed, exasperated, and turned to Tendou. “Are you satisfied? I’m now gonna have deal with that now.”

“Immensely,” Tendou chirped and turned back towards his locker to finish packing his things. He could still feel Semi’s eyes on him, searching.

Semi had finally managed to corner him in their room the day after Tendou’s original phone call with Iwaizumi and had interrogated him about his odd behavior on the day of and after the Seijoh practice game. Despite being grilled for over an hour by his hostile roommate, Tendou had managed to avoid stating anything that remotely resembled the truth, blaming manga and indigestion for his odd behavior. Semi was well aware of the lack of truth in his statements, but he had just sighed that he would stop bugging Tendou until he was ready to talk. He kept true to his promise but had taken to shooting concerned looks in Tendou’s direction whenever possible which did not help his own growing guilt regarding the situation.

“It’s really just a friend, Semisemi. I don’t know why you’re so concerned,” Tendou hummed and felt Semi’s focus switch back to packing up.

“If it was really just a friend, you wouldn’t be so secretive,” Semi grumbled under his breath.

“He’s got a point, Tendou,” Taichi chimed in from his position across the room, “The fact that you’re keeping a secret from the team instead of gloating is kind of out of character for you.”

“Plus, you’re quite bad at keeping secrets,” Reon added, as he entered the room and stopped before his locker on the other side of Semi. The towel in his hand drying the excess moisture in his hair. He and Wakatoshi had been the ones assigned to clean up the gym tonight and were consequently the last ones in the shower.

Tendou scowled and closed his locker door in order to face the group.

“I’m great at keeping secrets.”  
“Except for when you gave Wakatoshi his birthday present two months early because you were too excited to see his reaction,” Semi deadpanned, as he turned to greet Tendou’s gaze.

“Or, when you mentioned to the whole team Shirabu and Eita were dating before they had even officially been on their first date,” Reon helpfully added as he peaked around Semi’s shoulder.

“Or, when you told Goshiki about the first-year hazing process before we even had an opportunity to plan it,” Taichi stated, as he too turned around to face Tendou, “but that’s be expected with the way you baby him.”

“Okay, okay. I get your point, but none of that changes the fact that he’s just a friend,” Tendou protested, preparing to launch into his own examples of his trustworthiness. However, whatever further retorts laid on Tendou’s tongue died, as he noticed the matching surprise on Taichi, Reon, and Semi’s faces and the unrestrained glee on Yamagata’s. “What?”

“Oh ho, so it’s a boy you’ve been texting,” Yamagata teased. A cheeky grin stretching his cheeks, as he reached over to give Tendou a proud pat on his shoulder. “When are you gonna introduce your new boyfriend to the team?”

_Oh fuck, why can’t I keep my mouth shut._

Tendou didn’t have any time to defend himself as their conversation was interrupted by thunderous slam of a locker door. Communication ceased as the five members of the group turned owlishly towards the source of the noise. Wakatoshi stood next to Reon with his now closed locker door. His expression was stern, and his eyes dark, as he roughly pulled on the sleeves of his jacket. The aura surrounding him was intense enough to make Tendou shy away from the normally neutral man.

He leveled them with a glare and grunted, “Idle chat should be reserved for outside. I am leaving for the dorms. Coach Washijo would most likely appreciate if you follow my example as well.”

Wakatoshi then slung his bag across his shoulders and trudged out the door without another word. In his wake, Shiratorizawa’s ace left an awkward silence. All five remaining members still shocked by Wakatoshi’s unexpected outburst.

“For such a large man Wakatoshi sure is light footed. I didn’t even hear him come in,” Tendou spoke, breaking the silence. The rest of the group numbly nodded in return, still shell-shocked by Wakatoshi’s hard words. “But, man, who pissed in his Cheerio’s? I’ve never seen him that _cranky_ before. Granted, I didn’t even know it was possible for Toshi to be cranky.”

“He’s seemed okay at practice,” Semi said. His hand coming up to scratch the back of his head in a confused gesture. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Tendou. “Did you say something to piss him off?”

“Why do you always think the worst of me, Semisemi? Wakatoshi is my best friend. I treat him with nothing but love and respect,” Tendou pouted, though the existing guilt in his chest grew ever so slightly.

Ever since he had begun texting Iwaizumi on a regular basis, he had been spending less time with Wakatoshi outside of practice. Their time together limited to Saturday mornings when Tendou would show up at his room and force him to read manga together. Iwaizumi said it was probably healthier for Tendou to distance himself until he could get his feelings under control, and it seemed to be working so far. But he made a mental note to message Wakatoshi just to make sure he hadn’t slipped up and done something to upset him.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Semi drawled and pulled his bag onto his shoulder, “Anyway, I’ll be back at the dorm room later tonight. I’m gonna go try to drag Kenjirou to dinner to get him out of his mood. Taichi, do you wanna come?”

Taichi nodded and jammed the remainder the stuff into his bag, waving a quick goodbye to the three remaining Shiratorizawa members before following Semi out. Reon and Yamagata left soon after. Each one exchanging a quiet goodnight with Tendou on their way out until he was the only left in the room.

Tendou slipped out his phone and scrolled down to respond to Iwaizumi’s most recent message.

**Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** i swear to god tendou if i hear one more ‘oikawa-kun~’ im gonna commit homicide

makki and mattsun think its hilarious

theyre taking bets on how long itll take me to snap

and shittykawa just encourages it

 **MiracleBoi:** envy is an unbecoming emotion, iwa (；￣Д￣)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** shut up

you dont understand

its. every. single. practice.

coach has tried kicking them out

they just find new ways in

like fucking cockroaches

 **MiracleBoi:** it just sounds like ur jealous u dont have fangirls

wait,,, i have an idea

i can show up to seijoh and be ur own personal fangirl

problem solved ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** i am willing to carry your death on my conscience

 **MiracleBoi:** u would miss me too much (ﾉ´ з `)ノ

also, r u free to call while i walk to the dorms????

i need to tell you the mean thing wakatoshi said to me today (ﾉД`)

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** yeah, just give me a second to finish up dinner

Tendou felt a smile tugging on his lips as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. In a swift movement, he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the building. The sun had long since set, but the stars had only just begun to twinkle in the blue fabric of the sky above. His short path back to the dorms was only illuminated by the buttery glow of the streetlights and the long shadows cast by them. The cool night air nipped at his exposed arms, but the chill felt oddly good after being enveloped by humid warmth of the locker room. His ears were greeted by the soft symphony of the wind as it whistled through the leaves of nearby trees and the steady clap of his shoes against the concrete. On a perfect night like this, Tendou couldn’t help but muse that this was the most at peace he had felt in a long time.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Tendou felt fondness flood his chest, as he saw Iwaizumi’s name light up his screen. Swiping his thumb across the accept button, he held the phone up against his head.

“So, what did Ushiwaka do to you that you’re so upset about? I thought you two were on good terms,” Iwaizumi’s voice sounded on the other line.

“So, get this, Eita, Ohira, Taichi, and Hayato were all ganging up on me on who I was texting. I defended your honor, of course. Then Wakatoshi slams his locker door and tells us all to stop gossiping and go back to the dorms. Wakatoshi, Miracle Boy Ushijima Wakatoshi who I didn’t even see frown until a month after meeting him, got cranky that we were gossiping. I didn’t think it was possible for him to get cranky. I thought his only emotion was volleyball,” Tendou cooed mournfully, and he heard Iwaizumi stifled a laugh from the other side.

“What fuck kind of emotion is volleyball?”

“Y’know, it’s like that intense look he gets when he hits a ball,” Tendou explained, illustrating his point with his hands, despite knowing that Iwaizumi could not see them, “He’s super passionate about hitting the ball. I’m sure you’ve seen it when you’ve played us in the past.”

“But that would mean that he shows emotion while playing volleyball, not that volleyball is an emotion,” Iwaizumi pointed out. Tendou’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. Trust Iwaizumi to get hung up on the specifics and miss the main point.

“I feel like you’re focusing on the wrong thing here.”

“It’s not fault you don’t make sense.”

“I’m making perfect sense. I feel like you just don’t care about how Waka-kun has affected me.

The conversation continued on until Tendou reached the door of his dorm building, and maybe, he took the long way back to talk to Iwaizumi for just a couple more minutes. Iwaizumi told him he probably didn’t have anything to worry about with Ushijima. Ushijima was probably just exhausted from practice and didn’t want to deal with their squabbling. An emotion it seemed Iwaizumi was familiar with if the exasperation in his voice was any indication.

“Hmm, well it looks like I’m back at my dorm, Iwa. Thank you for the riveting conversation,” Tendou hummed, and Iwaizumi just grunted in response. “If I’m lucky, Eita made up with Shirabu, and I’ll have the weekend to myself.”

“What happens if your unlucky?”

“Eita will complain all weekend until Ohira plays mediator and makes me and Shirabu apologize to each other,” Tendou sulked, and Iwaizumi’s snicker crackled through his phone’s speaker.

“Stop picking fights, and you’ll stop having to apologize.”

“I’m never the instigator.”

“I’m sure. That’s why half of Seijoh would punch you given the chance, because you’re just so sweet and innocent.”

“Taunting in volleyball doesn’t count. It’s part of my strategy.”

Their conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Tendou’s hand hovered over the handle to the door of his dorm’s building. He found himself not wanting to hang up the phone just yet. Despite all of his false bravado, Tendou did not enjoy being alone. The prospect of returning to his empty dorm room to await Semi’s return that would not be for another couple hours seemed cripplingly lonely. Normally, he would go visit Wakatoshi on nights like these, but between him trying to distance himself from his feelings and Wakatoshi’s intense display in the locker room, it didn’t seem like the best idea tonight. Everyone else on the team already had plans for Friday night.

_Friend? You don’t have friends._

Tendou scowled as he remembered Shirabu’s taunt. He knew from experience that this was just the setter expressing his concern in his own way. Afterall, he was almost as bad as Tendou himself at expressing himself. His relationship with Semi would’ve have never taken off if it wasn’t for the meddling of various team members. But, he couldn’t help the fact the words still scratched at the back of his brain. Was it really that unbelievable that he had managed to make a friend outside of their team?

Tendou scowled.

_Iwaizumi is my friend. I’ll show him._

“Iwaizumi, want to hang out tomorrow? There’s a pretty good breakfast place between here and Seijoh,” Tendou said with an air of forced casualness. It wasn’t unusual for friends to hang out with each other on weekends, but something about asking Iwaizumi to hang out in person made him want to bite at his nails out of anxiousness. Besides their initial meeting, they had only really communicated through the phone. Maybe Iwaizumi wouldn’t want to be spotted with a monster in public.

“Sure. Just text me the details.”

“Wait really?” Tendou exclaimed, not even trying to hide his surprise.

“Yeah, why not? It’s not like I’m doing anything tomorrow morning. Isn’t it a normal thing for friends to hang out together on weekends?” Iwaizumi asserted incredulously, and Tendou almost laughed at the offended edge on his voice.

A genuine smile pulled at Satori’s cheeks, as it spread wide across his face. His chest burning with a fond warmth for the man on the other side of the phone. Even without voicing his doubts, Iwaizumi always seemed to resolve them. He was too good of a person beneath the guise of aggression. Satori wondered how someone like Oikawa had ever managed to trick Iwaizumi into being friends with him. Though now that he thought about it, Satori had managed to trick him as well.

Or, maybe, Iwaizumi had a soft spot for tall, obnoxious, emotionally stunted assholes.

“Yeah. Friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the update was a little late. I ended up finishing the Chimera Ant Arc of Hunter x Hunter this weekend and was emotionally destroyed for a couple days. Thank you for all of the kind comments on the last chapter!!! They really do make my day, and I can't tell you how many times I reread them. Thank you all for reading and supporting my story!!!!! :)


	4. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys ready for some gentle IwaOi angst?? :)

Tendou was not exactly sure when sleep claimed him, but the violent vibrations of his phone roused him from his slumber in the early hours of the morning.

Sleep had not come easy to Tendou the previous night. Despite tucking his phone away underneath his pillow and closing his eyes in the gentle darkness of his dorm room, his body was practically buzzing under the thin fabric of his sheets. The strange concoction of anxiety and excitement thrumming through his veins was stronger than any amount of caffeine he had ever tried. Logically, he knew that actually falling asleep would make the morning come faster, and he wouldn’t be stuck in this limbo between giddiness and fear. His brain, however, seemed to have not received the memo. Instead, he laid there wide awake, listening to the gentle rhythm of Semi’s snores from the bunk above him and tapping his fingers to the click of the clock as it ticked closer to the sunrise. At some point, he must’ve fallen asleep, but the exact time it occurred was difficult to pinpoint.

Blearily, Tendou retrieved his phone from its position and blinked, surprised, to see Iwaizumi’s name lighting up the entirety of his screen. After checking that there was still a steady stream of snores from the bunk above him, he swiped the icon to answer.

“Why are you calling me before the sun even rises? I feel like that should be illegal” Tendou’s voice was hushed and gravely from sleep, and he heard a little chuckle of the other side.

“You’re being dramatic. It’s like eight o’clock, and the sun had been up for like two hours. It’s not my fault that you’re lazy,” Iwaizumi buzzed. His voice oddly chipper for such an early hour, and Tendou attempted to rub the sleep away from his eyes. He must be a morning person. “Anyway, I’ve got some bad news.”

With that ominous statement, Tendou felt his stomach drop, and he maneuvered himself into a sitting position, careful not to make any jarring movements that could awaken his roommate.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I forgot that I promised my mom that I would run a few errands for her this weekend. I’m not sure how long they’ll take since I’m doing them alone, but I don’t think I’ll be done in time for breakfast,” Iwaizumi grimaced, and Tendou felt a pressure on his chest grow in his chest, despite the clear remorse in the other’s voice. “I’m really sorry.”

“Ah. It’s okay. It not your fault.”

“I’m still sorry.”

The conversation stalled into an awkward silence for a couple moments. Tendou would be lying if he said that Iwaizumi’s words hadn’t caused his throat to tighten slightly and that disappointment was dripping through his chest. The nervous excitement that had whirred around his head and hindered his sleep seemed wasted now. All that remained in his head was the whispering of his ever-present insecurities.

_Iwaizumi doesn’t want to be spotted with a freak. His niceties last night were only to spare your feelings. This excuse was just a way to get away from you._

“But, y’know, if you would be willing to meet me at my place and help me run errands, we could always grab some food after on my side of town,” Iwaizumi’s voice wavered with uncertainty and something that sounded dangerously close to hope. The proposition quieted the chattering anxieties within Tendou’s head. “No pressure if you don’t want to though. It’s not exactly a fun activity, and the train ride is a lot longer from Shiratorizawa.”

“No! It sounds like a good time,” Tendou exclaimed without thinking before smacking his hand over his mouth and glanced up to see if his outburst had roused Semi. Hearing the gentle cadences of Semi’s breaths, he lowered his voice and murmured, “Just send me your address.”

“Sweet,” Iwaizumi hummed, and Tendou could swear he could hear the man’s smile through his voice, “But you better hurry and get your ass over here. If you’re not here by nine, I’m leaving your ass on my doorstep, and running the errands alone like I originally planned.”

“So mean, Iwaizumi. First you cancel our plans, and then you threaten to abandon me when I’m giving up my precious Saturday to spend the day with you,” Tendou tutted with a low voice.

“Shut up, and get your ass out of bed,” Iwaizumi hissed. A giggle built up in Tendou’s chest at the quick flip of the other man’s mood.

“That’s two comments about my ass, Iwaizumi. Is there something else you want—”

Tendou was cut off by the beep of the phone call ending. Pouting, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head to crack his back. His phone buzzed a moment later, and he smiled seeing Iwaizumi’s address attached under a message.

**Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** see you soon. don’t be late.

The giddy feeling from last night settling in his stomach once again. He wondered vaguely if his childhood would have been less lonely if Iwaizumi had been his friend in childhood. He seemed like the kind of person who would’ve held his hand and protected him from the taunts and teases of the other kids instead of joining in. A knight who protected the kind monster from the mob of villagers.

Maybe they would’ve even started playing volleyball together and gone to high school together.

_Then Iwaizumi would’ve come to Shiratorizawa._

Tendou snorted at the thought of Oikawa’s face if Iwaizumi had abandoned him. He’d probably pop a blood vessel at his precious _Iwa-chan_ falling into the evil clutches of _Ushiwaka._ Still, it made the small flame of jealousy towards Oikawa Tooru reignite in his chest. A world in which Oikawa got Wakatoshi’s affection and Iwaizumi’s friendship really wasn’t a fair world.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Tendou checked the time in hopes that he might be able to grab a quick shower before leaving for the train station. However, he quickly realized that Iwaizumi had rounded the time generously down and that nine o’clock lay less than forty minutes away. If he had any hope of making it there by Iwaizumi’s deadline, he would have to leave for the train station in the next couple minutes.

_Shit._

Shrugging off his pajamas, Tendou pulled on a casual pair of jeans and a dark sweater that he had set out the previous night. His phone, wallet, and keys were carefully tucked into his pocket, and he shot a quick glance at the mirror above his dresser. His nose wrinkled slightly at his untidy appearance. Light circles peeked out from his eyes, and his red hair was still disheveled from sleep. However, there was no time to gel his hair into its normal style, so he settled for raking it back with his fingers a couple times before creeping towards the door. Gently, he withdrew himself from the room and locked the door behind him, hoping that his roommate’s slumber was not disturbed by his exit.

With all of his rushing to reach the station, it wasn’t until halfway through his train ride that Tendou realized that he had forgotten to charge his phone the previous night, and it was now sitting at a flat 15%.

_Let’s hope no one from the team needs my help today._

……………………………………….

The Iwaizumi household was modest building with large windows peeking out from the second story and a green front door standing watch at the entrance. Tendou had made surprisingly good time on his way here. The train ride itself had been quieter than expected, and he had managed to grab a quick nap before reaching his destination. The walk from the station to Iwaizumi’s house had been relatively short, and the crisp morning air had left him feeling remarkably refreshed as he walked up the front entrance of the house. Tendou reached out his hand to knock but hesitated, wondering if it would be better to text Iwaizumi than disturb the house’s inhabitants.

However, the choice was stolen from him, as the door creaked open and revealed a woman.

Blinking up slowly at him, a smile rippled across her face, and she threw her head back.

“Hajime, your friend is here!” she bellowed before turning back towards Tendou with a sweet grin still in place. “Hello dear, he’ll be down in a couple minutes. What’s your name?”

“I’m Tendou Satori. It’s nice to meet you,” Tendou murmured in shock, offering his hand numbly in greeting. The tiny woman dressed in jeans and an apron in front of him was the spitting image of Iwaizumi. Her thick, dark hair was pulled into a small bun above the nape of her neck, and laughter lines peaked out of the corner of her green eyes. The grin on her face was a photocopy of the one that he had seen on Iwaizumi’s face over the years from across the net. But the most Iwaizumi-like aspect of her was the strength she radiated. Despite being an easy foot smaller than Tendou, her presence was bold, and her broad shoulders were held high with confidence.

She laughed, a deep, hearty sound, and took his hand in her small, strong grip.

“Nice to meet you Satori. Why don’t you come in, dear? I just need to throw this trash out, and then I can help you get settled inside while we wait for Hajime. He wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes,” she mused, gestured for him to take a step inside. Tendou nodded and followed her directions in a daze, slipping off his shoes and placing them by the doorway. She squeezed past him with a garbage bag tossed over her shoulder.

Parents typically didn’t like Tendou. Children weren’t the only ones to judge based on appearance, and most parents who met him tended to shield their offspring from him with hushed warnings to avoid the boy. He had just learned over the years to avoid talking to them whenever possible. Having to converse with Iwaizumi’s parents was not something he considered when he accepted the man’s offer. A stone weighed in his stomach at the thought of Iwaizumi’s mother regarding him harshly with the eyes that she shared with her son.

Still, something about her made him feel that those fears were unneeded and unfounded.

“How about some tea, Satori?” the woman said, returning up the entrance pathway from her chore. When Tendou again only nodded in response, she huffed out a little chuckle. “I’m not gonna bite, I promise. Come sit in the kitchen and talk with me. It’s been ages since I’ve seen any of Hajime’s friends, let alone met a new one.”

Mrs. Iwaizumi slipped off her shoes and made a move to go deeper into the house before turning back towards him and motioning with her hand for him to follow her. She led them through a plainly decorated hallway to simple and tidy dining room with a low table surrounded by four red floor cushions in the center. Before he realized what was happening, he was seated one of the cushions with Mrs. Iwaizumi next to him, forcing a steaming cup of tea into his long fingers.

“So, how did you meet Hajime? Hajime said that you don’t go to Seijoh, but he was clammed up when I tried to ask him more,” Mrs. Iwaizumi hummed, as she took her seat next to him and poured herself a cup from the steaming red teapot. Tendou unconsciously noted that Iwaizumi’s mother smiled a lot more than her son, and it suited her well.

“We met at a volleyball tournament. We’ve actually played against each other for a couple years now,” he stated carefully and took a long sip from his cup, wrinkling his nose slightly at the bitter flavor of tea. The woman perked up at the mention of the sport.

“Oh, what school do you play for? Have I heard of it before?” she questioned, leaning forward in anticipation.

Tendou gulped slightly, unsure if Iwaizumi would have said favorable things about his school.

“Shiratorizawa.”

Iwaizumi’s mother threw her head back and let out a string of hysterical laughs. Tendou stared in shock, as she tried and failed to reign in her laughs with a couple of wheezing breaths. Making a show of clutching her stomach and wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned back to Tendou. The grin on her face stretched wider than before.

“I’m sorry. I was just wondering why Hajime had been so cagey with information about you. When he told me that he was having a friend run errands with him today, he wouldn’t even tell me your name! The only that he mentioned was that it was a friend from outside school. But that explains it.” Her voice was filled with mirth, and she winked at Tendou. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t let Tooru know about your forbidden friendship.”

“Oikawa might pop a blood vessel if he found out,” Tendou quipped, finally feeling himself relaxing at the woman’s amused reaction to his confession.

“He gets that from his mother,” she hummed fondly, as she lightly patted his knee and went to take sip from her cup. “When we were on our high school’s team, she once refused to talk to me for a week because I went on a date with someone from our rival school. He wasn’t even on the volleyball team.”

“You played volleyball?” Tendou gaped. Iwaizumi had mentioned his parents a couple times in their conversations over the past couple weeks but had offered very little actual information.

“Don’t get too excited. Tooru’s mom was much better than me. I was mostly a bench warmer except for when our libero got tired, but it was enough to help Hajime and Tooru practice when they were little,” she breathed and propped her head on her hand. “Now, they’re at a level where I would be fearful for the state of my hands if I tried to play with them.”

“My fingers do always ache in the days after we play Seijoh. Iwaizumi has a killer spike,” he hummed.

“If only he had inherited his father’s height, he would’ve been unstoppable, like that Ushijima fellow from your school,” she sighed, and Tendou shivered a little bit at the thought of an Ushijima-sized Iwaizumi. Oikawa probably wouldn’t survive high school.

“And whose fault is that, Ma?” Iwaizumi barked, as he entered the room dressed in some black slacks and a blue hoodie. His hair was tousled and damp from the shower.

“You should stop frowning all the time, Hajime. You look so much better when you smile,” his mother sighed again, disregarding his question. 

Iwaizumi frowned harder at her before he turned his focus to his guest. “Sorry, that took so—”

The words died on his lips as he took in Tendou’s appearance and furrowed his eyebrows.

“What’s wrong with your hair?”

“Heh? What do you mean?”

“It’s usually all up and y’know,” Iwaizumi made a few vertical motions with his hands around his head, “spiky.”

“You told me to hurry over, so I didn’t have enough time to gel it.”

“You gel your hair?” Iwaizumi gawked. The surprise in his voice cause Tendou to fold his hands in his lap and stare critically at the man.

“Do you think my hair naturally stands straight up?”

“I never thought too critically about it, I guess,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “I’ve only seen you with it up like that.”

“But, doesn’t Satori look so handsome with his hair like that, Hajime?” Mrs. Iwaizumi crooned, and Tendou felt his face heat up at that compliment. Iwaizumi’s frown deepened as red tinted his cheeks.

“Ma, stop it. I told you already we’re just friends. You’re embarrassing him,” he growled.

“Can’t I just be happy my favorite child is spending time with such a nice young man? Tooru hasn’t be over in ages. I was getting worried you were lonely, but now it looks like I have nothing to worry about,” Mrs. Iwaizumi expressed wistfully with a soft gaze directed at her son, but Tendou couldn’t help to glance at his friend at the mention of Oikawa.

_Iwaizumi hadn’t mentioned anything about Oikawa not hanging out with him recently._

“It doesn’t count if I’m your only child, Ma. Now, we need to head out if you want any of these errands to get done,” Iwaizumi stated and motioned with his hand to the door, but Tendou noticed that he was refusing to meet his questioning gaze. 

“Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Iwaizumi,” Tendou smiled at the women as he stood up, setting his now half-empty cup on the table.

“It was my pleasure, Satori. Thank you for taking care of my Hajime. He has seemed a lot happier these past couple weeks,” she smiled and gently patted his leg, but the tips of Iwaizumi’s ear reddened.

“Okay, we’re leaving. We’ll be back later, Ma,” Iwaizumi bit and tightly grabbed Tendou’s wrist before dragging him out of the house at a frightening speed that barely allowed Tendou to grab his shoes on his exit.

Once outside, Iwaizumi released his death grip and scrubbed his face furiously with his hands. The red tint of embarrassment still peeking out on the apples of his cheeks as he spoke.

“I’m sorry about my mom. She’s a little overbearing sometimes.”

“It’s alright. It’s nice to see parents who care about their kids,” Tendou hummed but still turned his worried eyes onto Iwaizumi. “You didn’t tell me you and Oikawa weren’t hanging out as much.”

Iwaizumi shrugged, but Tendou saw the tension in his shoulders.

“It’s not a big deal. We still hang out at practice. He’s just busy,” Iwaizumi stated in a tone that indicated that he did not want to continue this conversation, and as much as Tendou wanted to pry, his better judgement warned against it if he wanted a stress-free day with his friend.

"Your mom’s pretty short,” Tendou said, opting to change the subject and saw Iwaizumi relax slightly. “It’s pretty funny that you got your height from her.”

Iwaizumi’s well-placed kick to his knee almost sent him hurtling to the floor.

“Remember, I can’t hit you over the phone, so I’ll take every opportunity I can,” Iwaizumi hissed with a disturbingly wide smile gracing his expression. Any trace of his previous embarrassment banished. “Now, let’s get a move on. My mom wants some of this stuff for lunch.”

Tendou gulped but trailed after Iwaizumi as he led the way to the main road.

……………………………………….

Tendou’s body was aching by the time three o’clock came around.

Despite having to run to a total of four different stores to cross off every item on the list, the errands themselves only took a couple hours with two sets of hands. Tendou was unsure how long it would’ve taken Iwaizumi if he had attempted to complete them himself. Mrs. Iwaizumi had been ecstatic at their quick return and had enlisted their help in moving some old furniture from the upstairs to prepare for the new things that she had ordered. Tendou’s arms were aching by the time they moved the last one, and he almost felt like a weekend practice would have left him less exhausted. Iwaizumi, to Tendou’s own personal horror, seemed invigorated by the workout and volunteered himself and his friend to finish up her tasks while she started on lunch.

The cherry on top was that his phone had died shortly after leaving the second store.

“I’m pretty sure you’re a masochist, Iwaizumi,” Tendou muttered as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The sweet morning spring air had turned sour with heat, and his skin was slick with sweat. He had long since stripped off his sweater in favor for his undershirt, but he could do little for his legs that were suffocating under the thick denim of his jeans. Mrs. Iwaizumi had been kind enough to offer him a clip for his hair, otherwise, he was sure that face would be drenched.

Iwaizumi stopped his work and grinned up at Tendou.

“I told you that you didn’t have to come.”

Tendou scowled.

The bastard had traded his slacks and sweatshirt for shorts and a tank top and was practically glowing with mirth under the assault of the sun. The physical labor hadn’t drained him of his energy like it had Tendou, instead he seemed energized by it. It wasn’t fair in any sense of the word.

“I take it back. You’re definitely a sadist. You’re enjoying watching me suffer too much,” Tendou pouted and pulled the last weed from his row of tomato plants before flopping onto the patch of grass next to Iwaizumi’s mother’s garden. His back was aching from the arched position he had been stuck in for the last half hour, and he could only hope that the throbbing would go away before Monday’s practice.

“What can I say, watching you struggle is balm on my soul for all the times you blocked my spikes,” he snickered and walked over to offer a reclined Tendou a water bottle which he gratefully took. The lukewarm water somehow felt cold against the walls of his throat. “Lunch should be ready any minute if you want to head in.”

Tendou nodded, and Iwaizumi offered him a hand up, which he took before they walked inside together.

The frigid air inside the house cooled Tendou’s skin, and he could almost sigh from relief. He and heat had never been a good combination. It’s one of the reasons he had chosen volleyball as his sport of choice over the other outdoor options. After collapsing onto the floor cushions inside, Mrs. Iwaizumi placed bowl of rice and roast pork with a sweet sauce in front of both him and her son. Untying her apron, she placed the piece of clothing on a hook near the stove and turned to the boys, grinning.

“Thank you boys for all of your help. With everything going on at work this week, I’ve gotten behind on all my chores. Now, I’ve got to run into the office for a couple hours, so behave and relax while I’m gone. Satori, you’re welcome to stay for dinner,” Mrs. Iwaizumi stated lovingly before pinching Iwaizumi’s cheek and exiting the room. The man rubbed his face in disgust and started to tuck into the food before him. Tendou couldn’t help but smile. Despite the slave labor he was forced into, the woman was remarkably warm, and he really did like her.

_Iwaizumi must get that kindness from her._

They sat in silence for a few moments. Both more concerned with savoring the fragrant food they were shoveling into to their mouths to engage in small talk. However halfway through his portion, Tendou found himself with a satiated hunger and a full stomach. Setting aside his half-finished bowl, he glanced at Iwaizumi and was surprised to find the man finishing off the last pieces of pork in his bowl. Iwaizumi casually glanced down at the leftover before he flicked his eyes up to meet Tendou’s.

“Are you gonna finish that?”

“Have at you, you bottomless pit,” Tendou stated simply and pushed the bowl towards him.

Iwaizumi ignored the dig and grabbed the bowl before beginning to shovel down the rest of the food. Tendou looked on with a mixture of fondness and mild disgust. He never understood how most guys his age seemed to have an endless ability to eat and not feel full. His appetite had been small since he was a kid, which was a constant source of anxiety for his teammates. Reon always lectured him that athletes needed to eat more carbs that the average person, but his reasoning fell on deaf ears. Semi had attempted to make him lunches every weekend in their first year but gave up after he discovered Tendou would prefer to down a can of soda and a bag of chips. On the other hand, Wakatoshi was much more successful with his direct approach and would put half of his servings of vegetables on Tendou’s plate every lunch with the expectation that they would be finished before the hour’s end. Even though he didn’t express it with words, Wakatoshi’s concern warmed his heart.

At the thought of Wakatoshi, Tendou’s heart ached the slightest bit. He had been too much of a coward to text the man last night and cancel their unofficial plans reading manga, figuring he could get Iwaizumi’s help in crafting a message. However, his phone dying had put a kink in that plan, so he just hoped that the man hadn’t been too disappointed by his no-show appearance.

_If he even noticed._

“So,” Tendou started, shaking the intrusive thought from his head and refocusing on Iwaizumi. Curiosity had been gnawing at him ever since Iwaizumi’s mother had mentioned Oikawa’s absence, and what better way to distract from his own problems than to focus on the problems of his dear friend. “What’s Oikawa _think_ you’re doing today?”

Iwaizumi paused his eating, staring down at his bowl.

“I don’t know. He never asked,” Iwaizumi stated with a forced nonchalance. His gaze fixed on the dwindling contents of his bowl. The building tension in his shoulders was just barely noticeable to the untrained eye.

“Is everything okay between you two?” Tendou knew that he should probably just let the topic go like he did earlier, but Iwaizumi’s reaction had startled him. Despite all their conversations, Iwaizumi had not brought up that he was struggling with Oikawa. He just wanted to talk it out with him. With everything Iwaizumi had done to help him deal with his feelings towards Wakatoshi, it felt like the least Tendou could do, even if he had to drag it out of him.

“I already told you. Everything’s fine,” Iwaizumi growled out, trying to keep his tone level, but his grip on his chopsticks had tightened considerably. “Everyone is worrying for nothing.”

“Are you sure, Iwaizumi? Because from your reaction it doesn’t seem like everything is fine,” Tendou stated slowly, knowing full well that he was treading on dangerously thin ice. While he was the first one to criticize and gripe about Oikawa, Iwaizumi remained unwavering loyal and defensive of his best friend. Tendou had learned to toe a careful line when speaking about Oikawa to Iwaizumi, even if he personally did not care for the man. “Did Oikawa do something?”

“Nothing fucking happened!” Iwaizumi shouted as his bowl slammed against the surface of the table, and Tendou jumped in surprise at the sudden rise in volume in the man’s voice. “I’m so sick of everyone asking me that. It’s not my fucking fault Tooru got a girlfriend and started ignoring everything besides volleyball. Why doesn’t everyone go fucking bother him instead of me?”

_It’s not my fucking fault Tooru got a girlfriend and started ignoring everything besides volleyball._

Suddenly, the gears in Tendou’s head slammed to a halt, and everything clicked into place. Iwaizumi’s protectiveness over Oikawa. His sage advice about unrequited love. His willingness to help a virtual stranger through his impossible love for his captain. All of it pointed to a simple conclusion, but Tendou hadn’t bothered to put the pieces together. His mouth formed a small ‘o’ as he stared at the fuming Iwaizumi who was still refusing to meet his eyes.

“You have feelings for Oikawa, don’t you?”

Iwaizumi froze, not daring to move a muscle.

“And, that day at Seijoh, it wasn’t allergies, was it?”

Iwaizumi deflated. All of the anger and tension draining from his body, and in its wake was a melancholy that was all too familiar to Tendou.

“His new girlfriend wanted to meet the team after the game with Shiratorizawa,” Iwaizumi stated and straightened the dishes on the table which he had disturbed with his outburst. After setting his chopsticks down beside his empty bowl, he finally turned to Tendou with a wistful smile that didn’t come anywhere close to reaching his eyes. “I had avoided meeting her up until that point, but I could tell that it was bothering Oikawa. I thought that if was only for a couple minutes that I would be able to handle it. It would make him happy. Volleyball is his one true love, so it’s not like I would have to put up with her for more than a couple months. I wouldn’t even have to like her if I didn’t want to.”

His stopped speaking for a second to shift his position, putting the weight on the palms of his hands as he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. Tendou’s heart panged at the sadness weighing on his shoulders.

“She introduced herself to all of us. Matsu and Makki cracked a couple jokes at Oikawa about how he felt being the ugly half of the couple, and she just laughed with her hand in his. The worst part was when she saw me, she grabbed my hand, grinning like a maniac, and said ‘Tooru has told me so much about you. I’m so happy I finally get to meet the famous Iwa-chan. I can tell we’re going to be fast friends’. Oikawa was just standing there the whole time with a look asking for my approval.”

He shook his head, a sad laugh bubbling through his lips as his gaze returned to Tendou.

“And you know what’s funny? I actually started feeling guilty about having feelings for Shittykawa. I’ve been in love with him longer than she’s even known him, over a fucking decade. I should be angry at her, _pissed_ that she’s stealing him away from me. But, looking at them with their hands locked together, all I could feel was envy and emptiness.”

He let his head go slack and roll against his chest.

“When she kissed him, I made up an excuse to go to the bathroom and there you were, spouting about heart break. It felt like the universe was trying to send me a message, but I’m still trying to figure out what exactly that message is.”

His arms hugged his knees close to his chest.

“And, ever since then, Oikawa and I haven’t really talked outside of practice. I was the one who started avoiding him, but I don’t even think he noticed with how wrapped up he is with his girlfriend.”

He let out a bitter little laugh and rested his head against his knees, defeated.

Iwaizumi was a strong man in Tendou’s eyes, a defending knight of Seijoh and worthy opponent on the volleyball court. Even in the two weeks that they had begun to talk outside of the court, he had been careful not to let the mask of strength slip off of his face, only allowing kindness and the occasional playful irritation through the cracks. Seeing the ace of Seijoh with his head lowered in defeat and fighting to keep the tears from his eyes was something Tendou didn’t completely know how to process. Comforting people was never his strong suit, but Iwaizumi with his aggressive kindness and firm encouragement deserved the best he had to offer.

All too cautiously, Tendou leaned in closer and slid his arms around the huddled man to pull him into his chest.

It was uncomfortable. The work in the garden had given both of the teenagers a subtle musk of sweat and sun. The sticky surface of his arms welded to the equally sticky shoulders of Iwaizumi, and the knee of said boy’s left leg was jamming into Tendou’s ribs at a rather painful angle. Unsure where to put his head, Tendou pressed his face into the crook of the others boy neck and hoped that the gesture was more comforting than awkward.

Iwaizumi froze for a second, but as Tendou hesitated and made a move to pull away, he wrapped his arms tightly around the redhead’s waist. A damp warmth spread on Tendou’s shirt as Iwaizumi buried his face and lost his fight with the tears welling up within him. Sobs wracked Iwaizumi’s body, and Tendou stroked gentle circles in his back. They sat in each other’s embrace for a couple minutes before Iwaizumi calmed, and Tendou found that he did not want to let go of the smaller man yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in love with Oikawa? I would’ve understood,” Tendou mumbled, continuing his ministrations on Iwaizumi’s back. He thought about the vicious bite in his stomach every time he saw Wakatoshi’s eyes light up at the sight of Oikawa and the heavy insecurity that would ache for hours afterward. “I would’ve understood more than anyone.”

“I dunno,” Iwaizumi rumbled, and Tendou could feel his deep voice vibrate his chest. “I thought that as long as I didn’t tell anyone that it was never fully real. There are no consequences for words left unspoken.”

“Kinda hypocritical for someone who told me two weeks ago that it wasn’t healthy to keep everything bottled up,” Tendou mused and felt Iwaizumi pinch his side.

“Do as I say, not as I do, idiot,” Iwaizumi growled into Tendou’s shoulder, but it lacked any of its usual bite, which caused him to squeeze the man tighter.

“It looks like we’re just two lovesick fools, huh Iwaizumi?”

“Hajime,” Iwaizumi murmured, “If I can tell you my most well-guarded secret, you can call me by my first name.”

“Does it count as well-guarded if I guessed it, Hajime?” Tendou quipped back, testing the name on his tongue and ignoring the almost burning fondness in his throat at Hajime’s soft suggestion. “I think my secret was objectively better kept which means I should be gifting you with first name privileges.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Satori,” Iwaizumi mumbled, and Tendou mused that he liked the way that his name sounded coming from his mouth. It was sounded soft and familiar like the caress of an old friend.

“Since I know your deepest secret does that mean that I get the best friend position?” Tendou remarked and felt a chuckle ripple through Hajime’s body.

“I think Oikawa would kill me first.”

They sat there for what felt like hours in one another’s embrace. For just that moment, they were each other’s life preservers from the waves of envy and loneliness and the shackles of unrequited love begging to weigh them down. As long as they kept a hold of one another, they wouldn’t drown.

Maybe it was the emotional toll this afternoon had taken or the physical toll of the chores, but Tendou felt his eyelids grow heavy. His hold on Iwaizumi finally slackened as he slumped against the other’s shoulder, asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry that this chapter was so late. With everything going on these past two weeks, I haven't had much time to write, but I hope that the increased length of the chapter makes up for it. :)
> 
> Thank you all for the support and the comments. I can't tell you how many times I reread each one. It seriously makes me want to cry with happiness. I'll try to respond to them all in the coming week. :')


	5. Return and Realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back with a new chapter babeyyy!!!

Warm.

In all his life, Tendou had never really fallen asleep next to someone. While he was sure they loved him very much, his workaholic parents had never been overly affectionate. Growing up, whenever he showed up to their door with tears in his eyes and images of monsters in his head, they simply steered him back to his room across the house with the phrase “Big boys aren’t afraid of monsters, Satori”. In elementary and middle school, his peers discussed weekend plans and sleepovers within earshot, but the invitation was never extended to the class demon. Instead, he would trudge home alone to an empty house with a note from his parents that they were going to be home late from work. Then, at night, he would lay in bed with a pillow clutched in his arms, imagining there were friends giggling and snoring beside him.

When he got to Shiratorizawa and learned that he would be sharing a room, he had been ecstatic, believing it would be a chance to make up for the missed opportunities of childhood. However, having a roommate was very different than having a sleepover. Bickering over whose turn it was to vacuum was much more common than falling asleep with shoulders touching and smiles twitching at their lips. A few training camps had given him the opportunity to lay next to his teammates on a shared floor, but camaraderie is difficult to cherish when physical exhaustion made him want to sleep like the dead until morning. That, and a mandatory training camp didn’t share the same freedom and innocence as a sleepover with friends. Tendou felt too embarrassed trying to figure out how to word a request to spend the night with his teammates in a platonic and not creepy way.

So, waking up covered by a thick, woolen blanket with a friend drooling on his shoulder was the last thing Tendou would’ve expected from his final year in high school. He had resigned himself to never experiencing that basic passage of childhood.

But, here he was, disoriented and shaking the sleep in his eyes away, with a wet patch of drool on his shoulder and Iwaizumi practically spooning him.

It made him almost deliriously happy, despite his arm feeling exceptionally numb under the weight of Iwaizumi. Gingerly, Tendou turned to study the other boy’s face and wrinkled his nose in disgust. The man’s mouth was wide open, and a line of drool had been smeared across the bottom of his chin. His hair, which had already been spiky and unkept, was somehow more so than before their impromptu nap.

_Hajime is not a pretty sleeper. Noted._

Lifting his arm not being occupied by Iwaizumi’s head, he inspected the dense fabric of the blanket that had been draped over them during their nap. Tendou guessed that Iwaizumi’s mom had come home to find the two boys fast asleep and opted to cover them with a blanket instead of waking them. Tendou would be lying if he said his face didn’t flush a little bit at the thought. If Iwaizumi’s mother had suspicions about the true nature of their friendship, she must have had them confirmed by the sight of them asleep on the floor together.

Tendou groaned and scrubbed his hand over his red face. He really didn’t want her to misinterpret the friendship he had between her son and him. It was bad enough that his own teammates wouldn’t accept that he was in no way romantically interested in his texting buddy. He really didn’t need Mrs. Iwaizumi added into the mix.

Not that Hajime wasn’t an above attractive guy with a great personality, but Tendou’s type was taller and much more stone faced.

As if sensing that Tendou was insulting his height, Iwaizumi began to rouse and blinked unfocused eyes at his living body pillow. One of his hands rubbed his eyes that were still swollen from the events of the afternoon.

“Ten—Satori, when did we fall asleep?” Iwaizumi’s voice was husky with sleep, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, allowing blood to flow freely into Tendou’s previously trapped arm. Tendou followed his lead and maneuvered himself into a sitting position while attempting to rub out the pins and needles tingling his fingertips. Iwaizumi rubbed his face once again, before turning to Tendou with a slightly clearer voice. “What time is it?”

“No idea,” Tendou hummed. For the first time since he had awoken, he took a good look around the room and found himself surprised at how dark the room had gotten. The sun must have set while they were asleep as the only light in the dining room came from the yellow glow of the hallway. Iwaizumi twisted to grab his phone from its position and let out a low whistle, as the screen lit up with the time.

“Shit. We slept for six hours. It’s almost 9,” Iwaizumi winced and began to stretch out his stiff limbs, not noticing Tendou stiffen beside him at the mention of the time. After cracking his back and shoulders a couple times, Iwaizumi stood up with his knees popping in complaint at the new movement. “I always forget how stiff I get when I fall asleep on the floor.”

“Hey Hajime,” Tendou hummed in an unusually high, strained voice, and Iwaizumi turned to him, questioning, “Is now a good time to tell you my dorm curfew is 10?”

Iwaizumi closed his eyes and rubbed his temple to quell the growing irritation in his chest.

“What do you mean your dorm’s curfew is at 10?”

Tendou gulped.

“Unless we get explicit permission beforehand, we’re required to be back in the dorms by 10 on weekends, or the doors will be locked,” Tendou smiled sheepishly, fiddling nervously with his fingers, “And my phone is dead, so I can’t let anyone know to come open the door for me. If I’m not back at the dorms within an hour, I will be locked out for the rest of the night.”

“Why didn’t you start with that, dumbass!” Iwaizumi growled and hurled Tendou’s discarded sweater at his face. “Get up! If we run, we can get you on the next train and back before your stupid curfew.”

Tendou scrambled up from his sitting position and scampered after Iwaizumi who was already at the front door putting his shoes on. Tendou only barely managed to slip on his own before he was being ushered out the door by an impatient Iwaizumi. No words were exchanged between the two of them as they took off running. The flat slap of their sneakers against the pavement and the heaving of their lungs were the only sounds emanating from them as they sprinted to the station. The night air whipped against Tendou’s face, as he attempted to keep the residing drowsiness in his limbs from affecting his pace. Iwaizumi did not seem like a man who had woken up only minutes prior, since he led the way by a good couple meters.

The ten-minute walk had been transformed into a three-minute run, and as they reached the front of the station, Tendou felt like his lungs were in danger of popping from the way they were heaving against his chest. His face was flushed with exertion, and a steady sheen of sweat coated his skin, despite the cool night air. He was always better at distance running over sprints. Shooting a quick glance at his partner, he was dismayed to find Iwaizumi was barely panting from the cardio.

“Well, thank you for the lovely afternoon, Hajime, but I think that it is now time for me to take my leave,” Tendou hummed when he finally managed to catch some of his breath. He made a move to enter the train station when he felt a warm grasp on his wrist.

“Wait,” Iwaizumi breathed with his eyes fixed on his shoes, and Tendou couldn’t keep the quizzical look off his face at the man’s command. Hajime had a light blush on his ears, but Tendou couldn’t tell if it was from the run or from whatever he was about to say. “I’m sorry for erupting on you earlier. Everyone just kept questioning me about why Oikawa and I were more distant than normal, and I just kept bottling up all of the irritation. You were just worried about me, and it wasn’t fair for me to unleash my frustrations on you.”

“You can erupt on me anytime, Hajime,” Tendou quipped to lighten the mood. It seemed to work as Iwaizumi’s face curled with disgust, and he released his wrist as if it was burning. But Tendou tacked on, “You dealt with me long enough to reserve the right to the occasional breakdown.”

“Don’t make it gross, you gremlin,” Iwaizumi breathed, but his expression softened at the words of reassurance. His large hands pressed against Tendou’s back and gave the man a gentle shove towards the doors of the train station. “Go catch your train, dumbass. I’ll let my ma know what happened when I get home.”

“I love when you order me around, Hajime,” Tendou smiled and darted towards the station entrance to avoid a kick to his knees. As he pulled the door open, a short shout from his companion made him turn around.

“Oi Satori! Don’t forget to text me as soon as you charge your phone,” Iwaizumi barked, and Tendou flashed him a peace sign before departing through the doors to hopefully catch a train that would allow him not to break curfew.

…………….

Tendou made it.

His lungs were burning from the strain of sprinting from the train station to the dorms. His forehead was slick with sweat. The muscles in his legs were screaming from the continuous strain of the afternoon. However, none of that mattered because he had made it. Sure, he had only reached the dorm lobby five minutes before curfew was enacted, and his body had been protesting every stretch of the way, but the important part was that he did indeed make it.

Tendou stood with his hands on his knees and head hung low as he attempted to catch his breath. The euphoria of making curfew was not enough to help the physical exhaustion that was plaguing every limb. Any energy that his nap had regained had been spent. Between the manual labor that Iwaizumi had tricked him into and the mini marathons to and from the train stations, Tendou felt ready to sleep like the dead until Sunday’s sun was ready to set.

After a couple minutes in his hunched position, Tendou’s breath began to steady, and he felt comfortable to attempt his trudge to his dorm on the third floor. Each step sent a wave of protests through his aching thighs to a point that he was concerned that his legs would collapse beneath him before he reached the top of his ascent. By some miracle, Tendou’s legs lasted till his door, and he slid his key into the lock before swinging the door open, expecting to be able to peacefully climb into his bed.

However, the sight that greeted him caused him to pause in the doorway.

Crammed into his and Semi’s tiny little dorm room was the entirety of Shiratorizawa’s regular team. Shirabu and Taichi were seated on Semi’s bed with Taichi’s legs dangling off the edge over the ladder. Goshiki, who was perched on the edge of Tendou’s bed, had worry tingeing his expression, and Yamagata was seated next to him with a comforting arm draped around his shoulders. On his other side was Reon who was locked in a tense conversation with a standing Wakatoshi. Semi was pacing circles around Wakatoshi. His eyes were locked on his phone, and his face was creased in concern.

At the squeak of the door’s hinges, all of their heads whipped towards Tendou who numbly raised his hand in greeting.

“Yo.”

Without another word, Goshiki rocketed from his seated position and practically tackled Tendou with a hug. Before Tendou could recover from the force, Semi and Yamagata launched themselves at him with equal force, causing him to rock back on his heels for balance. Much to his surprise, Shirabu and Taichi hopped down from their position on the top bunk and looped their arms around the group with a frightening speed. Reon wrapped his large arms around the six of them and pulled them all in close. The grip of the group was tight around Tendou’s waist. His arms were pinned to his sides, and his lungs screamed out for air under the compression of his team. Still, he rested his chin gently on Goshiki’s bent head and felt the warmth of being surrounded by the group.

Despite the general confusion and suffocation, Tendou felt his heart swell as he was surrounded by his teammates.

Minus one.

Tendou glanced up to see Wakatoshi frozen in his position, as if he was still attempting to process the events that were occurring. Tension was furled in his shoulders, and the position of his legs were unusually stiff. His wide eyes searched over the group before they caught Tendou’s curious gaze and softened with relief, a sight that caused fluttering within Tendou’s chest.

Goshiki’s sniffling turned the redhead’s attention back to the group hug. While the second and third years were beginning to withdraw from the group hug, the first year was still firmly latched onto Tendou where his face was leaving wet tear marks on the elder’s chest. Tendou wrestled his arm out of the younger one’s grip and placed a reassuring hand on his head.

“What’s the matter, Tsutomu? You just saw me last night,” Tendou cooed as he peered down at the whimpering boy, but out of the corner of his eyes he could see the rest of his teammates’ expressions were shifting from relief to worry and irritation.

“You disappeared all day and no one knew where you went, Tendou-senpai. You weren’t answering your phone, and everyone was worried that something had happened to you,” Goshiki gurgled and squeezed the taller man tighter. “Even Shirabu was worried about you.”

“Shut up,” Shirabu hissed at his junior. A blush was coloring the tips of his ears.

“But, as you can see, I’m safe and sound, Tsutomu,” Tendou hummed, stroking the younger boy’s hair and trying to ignore the stone of guilt weighing in his stomach. He really hadn’t meant to cause this much trouble for his teammates, especially little Tsutomu. “How about you let go of me, and I can answer some of your questions?”

Goshiki nodded numbly and released his grip. Tears still lined his eyes, and his nose was ruddy as he furiously tried to scrub away the sadness with his arm. Tendou’s heart squeezed.

Tendou padded his way over to his bed to take a seat. Goshiki slid into the spot to his right, pressing in closely to his side. Semi whose face was now schooled in careful neutrality, pulled out his desk chair to face Tendou, and Reon followed his lead with Yamgata leaning against the desk behind him. Taichi hesitantly took the spot on Tendou’s other side, as Shirabu went to stand behind his boyfriend. Tendou couldn’t help but glance up at their stoic captain who had yet to move from his original position.

“Waka-kun, are you gonna come and join us?” Tendou teased, hoping the quip would help lighten the growing tension. Wakatoshi seemed to finally snap out of his trance and made a move towards the bed. His large hand pointed at the small space between Taichi and the redhead.

“I would like to sit next to Tendou,” Wakatoshi rumbled, and Taichi frantically shuffled off the bed to stand next to Shirabu. Tendou tried to ignore the way his heartbeat raced, as Wakatoshi sat down and began to lean heavily into his side. He pulled Tendou’s long, slender fingers into his own and gave a slight squeeze. His skin was unusually warm. With his eyes focused on their interlocked hands, Wakatoshi gave Tendou a gentle smile that made his heart squeeze. “I am very glad you are back, Tendou. We were all very concerned.”

The red head felt like he was about to combust.

“So,” Reon started, drawing Tendou’s attention away from the captain. His tone was eerily reminiscent of a disappointed parent. “Would you like to tell us where you were all day, Tendou?”

Tendou gulped.

“I just took the train to help a friend out with some chores this morning. I just lost track of time. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you guys,” Tendou fidgeted, using his free hand to pick at his nails. The guilt in his stomach was weighing heavier with each worried look that his teammates cast in his direction.

“And that caused you to forget how to use a phone?” Semi spat. Any earlier attempt at neutrality in his facial features had failed. His relief at seeing Tendou’s safe return was now replaced with thinly veiled anger. “We were texting and calling you all day and there was no response on your end.”

“It’s dead,” Tendou pouted and held up the lifeless screen of his phone. “See?”

“And you didn’t think of using another phone?”

“I didn’t want to bother my friend. Plus, I didn’t think I would be gone that long.”

“You couldn’t leave a _fucking_ note or something before you left then? It’s common courtesy to let someone know if you’re disappearing for hours,” Semi bristled, practically snarling in Tendou’s direction. “I had to spend my whole Saturday worrying about you. Everyone thought something _bad_ had happened to you.”

Tendou felt irritation tickling his spine at the growing ferocity of Semi’s attacks. He didn’t understand why he was getting so aggressive. Guilt was already weighing heavily on his body. His mysterious disappearance wasn’t done on purpose to hurt anyone. It was an accident caused by a series of unfortunate events.

“Ah yes, because I am a mystical fortune teller and could have predicted that my phone would die. I did all this to spite you, Semisemi,” Tendou drawled. Semi made a move to confront him physically but was held back by Reon’s gentle hand, and the dark-haired man simply shook his head which caused Semi to lean back in his chair, fuming. Tendou took a steadying breath and began again. “It was an accident, okay? I thought I would be back by noon, but the chores took a little bit longer than I thought they would. Then we got distracted talking about some, uh, personal things, and we ended up sleeping together there on his dining room floor. When we woke up, I rushed back as soon as I could. I’m sorry.”

Tendou felt Wakatoshi go rigid, as the entire room was enveloped with a suffocating silence. The apprehension in the air replaced with a suddenly uncomfortable tension.

“What? What did I say?” Tendou chittered frantically, as he shifted his eyes between the shocked faces of his teammates. The five members positioned across from him were openly gawking at him. Semi’s mouth was hanging open, and Yamgata’s eyes were shining with something akin to pride. Next to him, Goshiki was refusing to look at him with his face painted beet red in embarrassment. On his other side, Wakatoshi’s eyes were stormy, and the muscles in his jaw were jumping under the strain of being clenched.

“You slept together?” Shirabu spluttered. His eyes were round like saucers and a blush dusted the tips of his ears, as he peered down at Tendou. “On his dining room floor?”

“Yeah?” Tendou answered, unsure of why the information was so shocking. He was positive he had walked in on Shirabu and Taichi napping together last year on one of the dorm’s shared couches after a particularly hard practice. It had been a sweet display of friendship from the typically apathetic duo, and Tendou had made sure to take pictures for blackmail purposes.

“You slept together?” Semi repeated with an expression that matched Shirabu’s. Tendou felt oddly uneasy at the sudden shift in the man’s mood. “Like, together together?”

_What’s so shocking about napping with a friend?_

“Yeah? I just said that?”

“I’m very happy that you’ve felt comfortable enough to tell us this, Tendou,” Reon stated carefully. He looked uncomfortable at the prospect of having this conversation, and Tendou’s confusion only grew. Why was everyone acting so awkward? “Can I ask how long this has been going on?”

“Well, I mean, you guys have seen we’ve only been texting for the past couple weeks. Today was the first time something like this happened,” Tendou responded, bewildered, and Semi choked at hearing his words, flushing a brighter red than Goshiki.

“Was it the guy you’ve been texting?” Yamagata chimed in excitedly, as he began to lean closer to the conversation. At Tendou’s slow nod, Yamagata howled out a laugh and reached over Reon to pat the redhead’s knee appreciatively. “I knew you had it in you, buddy! I’m proud of you, but I hope you were safe.”

Wakatoshi’s knuckles popped as he balled his hands into fists

Tendou glanced warily over at the overly stiff captain and the flustered mess of his team, and nervously chirped, “I don’t know why you guys are being so weird. I’ve seen Taichi and Shirabu do it before. It’s, like, a semi-normal friend thing.”

Taichi and Shirabu choked.

“NO, THE FUCK YOU DID NOT!” Shirabu spluttered at Tendou, before quickly turning to his stunned boyfriend. “Eita, I swear to god, I’ve never slept with Kawanishi.”

“Never, not in a million years,” Taichi echoed, “Not even a billion years.”

“Yeah, you did it last year on the dorm room couch,” Tendou scowled, and Goshiki looked like he was ready to pass out. “I even have pictures as proof.”

Before Shirabu and Taichi could attempt to argue, Reon held up a silencing hand and looked expectantly at Tendou, gently asking, “Tendou, what do you mean by sleeping together?”

“Sleeping together? Y’know, like taking a nap together?” Tendou answered, perplexity coloring his tone and felt Wakatoshi suddenly relax next to him. The room took a collective sigh of relief at his words. Semi reached behind him to pat Shirabu’s side apologetically, and Yamagata seemed to deflate slightly. “What did you think I meant?”

Reon shot him a pointed look. The cogs in Tendou’s head working in overdrive trying to figure out what other meaning the phrase could have rather than napping. Then, it clicked.

_Oh. OH. OH!_

Tendou buried his face in his hands as embarrassment burned his skin. Now, he was no stranger to dirty jokes, especially when talking to those who were easily flustered, but typically he was aware of what he was doing. Each joke he made was worded in a specific way and told in a certain tone of voice, as to make the double meaning _abundantly_ clear. That's the point of a joke, or any kind of teasing really: to elicit some reaction. Apparently, his team had missed his lack of double entendre and assumed a completely non-platonic meaning to his words. He now had to deal with the fact that for the past ten minutes, he had been unknowingly proclaiming that he and Iwaizumi had been intimate on the floor of Iwaizumi’s dining room. Something he had very much not done and had no interest in doing. He wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cease to exist.

“WHY WOULD YOU THINK I MEANT THAT?” Tendou choked out, barely able to lift his head enough to glance up at Semi and Reon in front of him. His face matched the hue of his hair.

“WHO SAYS SLEEP TOGETHER INSTEAD OF NAP?!” Shirabu shouted with a matching red coloring his skin. “WHAT ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO THINK?”

“IT'S NOT MY FAULT. MY MIND WAS A LITTLE JUMBLED WITH ALL YOU INTERROGATING ME! ” Tendou groaned and reburied his face in his hands, refusing to look at the rest of his teammates. “We’re just friends. Only friends. We are not doing any of that.”

“It is alright, Tendou,” Wakatoshi rumbled next to him. His voice seemed remarkably lighter compared to his dark expression earlier, and he placed a large, comforting hand on Tendou’s shoulder. “Everyone is prone to the slip of the tongue.”

“Thank you for the support, Wakatoshi,” Tendou mumbled, waiting for the shame to fade away before showing his face. Wakatoshi patted his shoulder a couple of times, as an extra show of comfort before removing his hand. Semi let out an exasperated exhale, and Tendou finally peeked his head up.

“Next time you go out, can you just make sure to tell someone where you’re going, Tendou? We were all really concerned about you,” Semi sighed, fatigue lacing his voice, and the other members nodded in agreement. Tendou’s heart ached in affection. He didn’t deserve their concern.

“Aye-aye, Semisemi. Think of yourself as the holder of my digital leash. I’ll text you hourly updates of my locations, so you’ll never worry again,” Tendou saluted, shaking off any lingering embarrassment.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Semi grimaced, and the other team let out a chorus of chuckles. “But I’m exhausted, so I think it’s time for you to all go back to your dorms.”

The occupants of the room let out various noises of agreement, and everyone made a move to leave. Taichi and Shirabu were the first ones to leave with the middle blocker flashing Tendou a quick peace sign and the short setter flashing him a middle finger. Reon and Yamagata both ruffled Tendou’s hair and gave him genuine smiles before making their exit. Goshiki seemed reluctant to leave but followed behind the two third years after exchanging a quick hug with Tendou. Ushijima was the last one to go, continuing to press into Tendou’s side until the last occupant left. Then he squeezed Tendou’s shoulder and made a move to leave but lingered by the open door with conflicted eyes.

“Tendou, I found that I missed you today. I know it is not our usual day, but would you come over tomorrow to read manga?” Wakatoshi questioned. His tone was hopeful as he looked down at the still sitting red head.

“Of course, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou chirped, despite heat returning to his cheeks at the thought of Wakatoshi actually missing his presence on the weekends. Wakatoshi’s lips quirked up into a kind smile that made Tendou’s heart ache with fondness. He truly was beautiful in every sense of the world.

“I will see you tomorrow then,” Wakatoshi stated and closed the door behind him.

Semi turned to Tendou, as the door slammed shut, and warned, “Don’t ever pull that shit again. I was this close to calling the police.”

Tendou gulped as he nodded solemnly.

“Good,” Semi stated and crawled up to his bed, pulling the blankets around him and facing away from Tendou. Tendou took that as a sign that he was going to bed and began to follow his lead. After plugging in his phone, he stripped off his sweat laden clothes and tossed them into the hamper before pulling on a pair of loose pajama pants and a tank top. Turning off the lights, Tendou crawled underneath his covers to wait patiently for his phone to charge up enough to send a text to Iwaizumi informing him of his safe journey home.

“I’m glad you’re home safe, Satori.”

The voice from above him surprised him, but the use of his first name still made him smile with affection.

“I’m glad I am too, Eita.”

Semi didn’t say another word, choosing instead to hum goodnight. Soon after, the steady rhythm of breaths above indicated that he had fallen asleep. Tendou lounged, smiling, as he stared at the bunk above him. He was surrounded by a good people, a good team. Guilt still lingered under the happiness, however. There was an insecurity inside of him that had insisted that his team wouldn’t even notice his absence, much less panic, but he supposed that he should’ve given them more credit than that. He made a promise to himself that he would make it up to them somehow, starting with Wakatoshi in the morning. 

At that moment, his phone lit up the dark room, as it powered on for this first time since noon. Tendou scrambled to unlock it and respond to Iwaizumi, so could finally go to bed. However, he was shocked to see a multitude of missed calls and messages from his teammates. He thumbed over the ones from Semi.

 **SemiSemi:** didn’t think it was possible for you to wake up before noon on saturday. good for you

Then three hours later.

 **SemiSemi:** hey, Wakatoshi just came looking for you, where are ya?

I’m gonna tell Reon if you don’t message me back

Then two hours and three missed calls later.

 **SemiSemi:** Tendou, seriously, where are you? whatever game you’re playing isn’t funny

Reon and I are seriously worried. no one has seen you all day.

pick up your phone

Then an hour and six missed calls after that.

 **SemiSemi:** ANSWER YOUR GODDAMN PHONE

IM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS IF YOU'RE NOT HOME BY DINNER

Then an hour and fifteen calls after that.

 **SemiSemi:** Tendou, I don’t know if you’re getting my messages, but please call me when you can

everyone is really worried about you

please come home. I won’t get mad.

I promise

Tendou glanced up at the bunk above him. Semi really was a softie under all of his layers, and Tendou supposed that it was only fair to pay for his breakfast for the next week as repayment for all his worrying. Looking back down at his phone, he skimmed through his contacts to open up his messages to Iwaizumi.

 **MiracleBoi:** i am home safe and sound haijimeeeee~ gn and sweet dreams ♡( ◡‿◡ )

 **Iwa** **(`** **皿** **´** **＃** **):** night.

The curt reply made Tendou wrinkle his nose, chalking up Iwaizumi’s terseness up to exhaustion, but making a mental note to interrogate him about it tomorrow. Out of curiosity, Tendou began to scan through the rest of his teammates’ messages from the afternoon. They were more or less similar to Semi’s with worried questions and commands to call as soon as possible. Goshiki’s were a little more tearful with emojis mixed in, while Shirabu’s were much more short and callous. The first-year was a good kid, and the team was in good hands next year. However, his attention was drawn to the thread of messages from Wakatoshi.

 **Wakatoshi** ♡ **:** Tendou, it is close to noon, and you have no come over yet. Are you upset with me?

Tendou scrolled to the next message.

 **Wakatoshi** ♡ **:** Tendou, I have just checked with Semi. He says that you have been gone all day.

Are you alright?

And the next message.

 **Wakatoshi** ♡ **:** Tendou, have I done something to upset you?

Please tell me if I have. I would like to apologize in person.

And the last message.

 **Wakatoshi** ♡ **:** Tendou. Please respond. The team is worried.

I am worried.

At the sight of Wakatoshi’s last message, Tendou promptly clicked his phone off and buried his face in his pillow, trying to ignore the red flush quickly coloring his cheeks. He knew that Wakatoshi had stated that he had missed him but seeing actual evidence of it had his heart hammering viciously against his chest. He tried to reason with himself and squash the light of hope in his chest, knowing the man’s words were meant in a completely platonic way. Tendou had seen what Wakatoshi acts like when he has feelings for someone. Afterall, he’d seen the passionate looks and deep, rumbling words that he exchanged with Oikawa. Gentle touches and kind words were not Wakatoshi’s love language, and Tendou would be a fool to convince himself otherwise.

But, if his dreams were filled with large hands gripping his own and the soft eyes of his captain staring into his, that was Tendou’s own business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely readers,  
> First of all, thank you for each and every one of your comments and kudos. I literally can't describe how much it means to me that so many of you leave such kind words, and it makes my day every time I get a new comment or kudos. I still get really nervous posting my writings, and you guys really help to fuel my confidence!! :)  
> Secondly, shout-out to my lovely beta reader and best friend sp_ace for catching many of my grammar errors and helping with the flow of the story. Ily bb. You're the best.  
> Finally, my finals week is this upcoming week, so it will probably be another two weeks before I can post a chapter, but after that my university is on break, so I hopefully will be able to post weekly again. :)  
> Thank you all for reading, and have couple weeks!!


	6. Names and Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! I'm back from finals!!! I not only survived but also passed all my finals!! Thank you for all of your kind comments wishing me luck!! :) Without further ado, here is the newest chapter!!

At nine o’clock the next morning, Tendou’s hand hesitated as he reached out to knock on the door of Wakatoshi and Reon’s shared dorm. His other hand was nervously clenching around the manga he had brought.

It was a couple hours earlier than he would typically show up at Wakatoshi’s doorstep, but his early retirement the night before had left him restless all morning. He had tried to lay in bed until noon, as per his normal weekend schedule, but the anxious of anticipation of seeing his captain made it difficult to relax. Half past eight, he gave up on any hope of falling back asleep and began to gather his supplies to head over to Wakatoshi’s room down the hall. Afterall, Wakatoshi was an early riser. Tendou had no doubt that he would already awake, probably already freshly showered from a run, and he had told Tendou that he wanted to spend the morning together. However, there was still an aching doubt clawing at his stomach that he would be intruding on the man’s space by showing up unannounced so early.

Before his insecurities could convince him to flee and return at a more appropriate time, the door swung open and revealed the hulking figure of Wakatoshi. His damp hair and the strong scent of mint clinging to his skin indicated that Tendou was right, and he had just returned from showering after his morning run. The pair of sweats clung low to his hips, and the stretch of his white t-shirt across his broad shoulders made the redhead’s mouth go a little dry. Despite his face being schooled in its usual stoic expression, a pleasant surprise danced in the man’s eyes as he saw Tendou standing in front of him.

“Tendou,” Wakatoshi rumbled as the corners of his lips ticked up into a gentle smile, a combination that was doing deadly things to Tendou’s heart. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

“Ah, sorry, Wakatoshi,” Tendou hummed, regaining enough of his composure to meet the man’s eyes, “It’s a little earlier than we normally hang out, so I wasn’t sure if I should bother you yet.”

“You never bother me, Tendou. You’re my best friend,” Wakatoshi spoke with a deep, comforting voice, “I was actually about to come and check to see if you were already awake, despite the early hour.”

“Aww Wakatoshi, did you miss lil ol’ me?” Tendou teased, despite the rush of giddiness pounding through his veins at Wakatoshi’s words. The captain’s honest affection for their friendship always endeared him greatly to Tendou. Every time he confirmed their mutual affection it eased the chronic insecurities in Tendou’s head, and much to Tendou’s delight, those affirmations had become much more commonplace in the past year.

But that delight did little to ease the disappointed hiss in his head that Wakatoshi’s affection was borne out of friendship. Not love.

It would do him no good to try to convince himself of anything else.

Wakatoshi blinked slowly, considering Tendou’s question.

“Yes.” A rare smile crinkled the corner of his eyes, as he answered, and butterflies beat their colorful wings in Tendou’s stomach at the sight. “I enjoy your company, Tendou.”

_For now, friendship with Wakatoshi is enough._

“Are you gonna invite me in?” Tendou flashed a smile up at Wakatoshi in return. Wakatoshi creaked the door open further, and Tendou pranced in before making himself comfortable on the lower bunk. He spread the multiple volumes he was carrying across the bed. Impatiently motioning for Wakatoshi to join him, Tendou began to describe the different series laid out in front of him. “So, I brought a couple different genres today. I’ve got action, romance, and horror. Which one are you feeling today, Toshi?”

“Toshi?” Wakatoshi questioned with furrowed brows as he sat next to Tendou on the edge of bed. The frame of the bed groaned under the additional weight.

“Yeah, you were due for a new nickname,” Tendou hummed and watched as the taller mull over his words for a moment. The redhead rested his chin in the palm of his hand, studying the man’s reaction. The angles of his handsome face gleaming under the harsh reflection of dorm room light. “Do you not like it?”

“No, I like it,” Wakatoshi mumbled, and Tendou swore he saw a reddish tint coloring the tips of his ears. Before he could confirm his observation, Wakatoshi quickly grabbed one of the brightly colored volumes from the bed with his face turned away from Tendou’s and began to thumb carefully through the pages, probably looking for the ad sections. “This one seems interesting.”

“Ah, you have chosen an exciting one, Wakatoshi. You see, the main guy thinks that he has to save his classmates from getting murdered to get back to his own time, like the universe trying to fix itself. But, the thing is he doesn’t know who the killer is, and he –”

For the next half an hour, Tendou went on to explain the entire plot with wild hand gestures and sound effects to an attentive Wakatoshi. To his credit, the stoic man would occasionally look up from the pages to add comments to the discussion. Afterwards, satisfied with his reenactment, Tendou relaxed onto the bed beside a sitting Wakatoshi. He draped his legs over Wakatoshi’s lap and laid his head on the pillows at the top of the bed, burying his nose in one of the other volumes that he had brought. The companionable silence they lapsed into was only broken by Tendou’s sporadic outbursts of humor and shock and Wakatoshi’s gentle hums of acknowledgement. The environment was one of peace and comfort, carefully cultivated by their mutual trust and friendship.

He was pulled out of his story at the sudden shifting of Wakatoshi who pushed Tendou’s legs from their position on his lap. The redhead opened his mouth to complain but cut himself off as Wakatoshi moved to lie down in the tight spot between the wall and him. After a bit of rearranging, the man let out a sigh of relief. His side was pressed flush with Tendou’s, and his head lazed to almost rest on Tendou’s shoulder, close enough to smell the floral scent of his shampoo.

“Whatcha doing there, Wakatoshi?” Tendou squeaked. The close proximity was making his head fuzzy and heart erratic. Wakatoshi glanced up from where his head was resting with a nonchalant expression.

“Sitting down for long periods makes me restless,” he explained simply, and Tendou felt like he was imagining the teasing glint in his olive eyes at the question. “And you looked much more comfortable lying down.”

“Ah,” Tendou stated simply. His mouth was uncomfortably dry, and he could feel a flush creeping up his neck. He reburied his face into his manga, hoping the nervousness would die down. He was used to invading Wakatoshi’s personal space, but something about lying next to each other felt intimate.

Though Tendou supposed that he couldn’t really complain, and he found that he really didn’t want to.

He had just begun to adjust to Wakatoshi’s breath tickling the skin on his shoulders when the man’s large fingers started absentmindedly tracing circles on Tendou’s leg. Tendou was startled by the new movement, but Wakatoshi didn’t seem to notice, paying apt attention to the story. The air in Tendou’s lungs felt heavy as he attempted to steady himself with a deep breath, and he mused it was remarkably harder to breathe with the warm pressure of Wakatoshi’s fingertips on his skin. The blush from early threatened to return to his cheeks. The heat of it was already crawling up his neck, as he attempted to anchor himself to the feeling of the manga pages in him hands and not float away in bliss under Wakatoshi’s physical affection.

Suddenly, Tendou’s phone began to aggressively buzz in his pocket, shattering the tension. Confused at who could be calling, Tendou angled his phone away from Wakatoshi to see Iwaizumi’s name lighting up his phone screen. He had sent him a text before heading over to his captain’s room that morning, asking if anything had happened last night but had yet to receive a reply from Seijoh’s ace.

Seeing it was Iwaizumi calling, Tendou scrambled off the bed towards the door. Wakatoshi looked up at him with concerned eyes, frowning slightly in what Tendou could almost convince himself was disappointment at his sudden absence.

“Ah, sorry Toshi. I just gotta step out and take this phone call real fast. I’ll be right back,” he explained hurriedly and sprinted out the door to before Wakatoshi was able to reply. His mind was still reeling from Wakatoshi’s actions. He decided that, for now, he would focus on Iwaizumi and deal with his thumping heart at a later time. Slamming open the door of his own dorm room, Tendou did a quick survey of the room to check for signs of Semi. Satisfied that he was alone, he finally pressed to accept the call.

“Hajime, to what do I owe the pleasure of getting to hear your sweet voice this early in the morning?’ Tendou quipped, as he spun to sit on the edge of his bed.

“Satori, I’m gonna fucking kill Oikawa.”

Tendou blinked rapidly in surprise at the pure aggression radiating off of Iwaizumi’s voice. Swallowing the shock, Tendou responded, “Care to elaborate further?”

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Iwaizumi seethed through the speaker, ignoring Tendou’s inquiry, “He’s a goddamn hypocrite who has no right to act like my fucking parent and control my behavior. He’s telling me I’m distracted? That I need to focus on volleyball more? Who does he think he is? Some kind of _king_ whose loyal _subject_ s follow his every whim?”

Tendou held back the impulse to state that _technically_ Oikawa was called the Grand King and soothed, “Hajime, I’m all for shit talking Oikawa, but I’m gonna need some background information to do it properly.”

“I’m just so frustrated. It’s just—fuck,” Iwaizumi groaned, and Tendou could picture him running a hand through his short, spiky hair in exasperation. “Oikawa stopped by my house last night while I was walking you to the train station.”

“He did? I thought you guys weren’t really talking.”

“We’re not,” Iwaizumi sighed, and Tendou could hear the sadness hiding underneath the anger of his tone. “Apparently, he was in the area after dropping off his girlfriend and wanted to stop by to say hi. My mom told him that I was walking a friend to the station and that he was welcome to stay until I got back. But, fuck, when I got back, everything just got weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was all twitchy and started asking me who I walked to the station and if he knew them and why they were over so late,” Iwaizumi grumbled, as if he was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “When I told him it was just a friend from another school and that he didn’t know you, he started to calm down a little bit but was still being weird and pestering me about your name.” The frustration was leaking out of his voice now. “Then, he saw the blanket in the dining room that my ma covered us in and started yelling about how nice it must be to get my dick wet with my new secret boyfriend, whatever the fuck that means. I tried to explain what happened, but he got so fucking pissed that I kicked him out and told him to come back tomorrow when he’s cooled off.”

Tendou let out a low whistle and leaned back on his bed before uttering a simple, “Yikes.”

“Then, this morning, he shows up to my house to apologize and say he was out of line, which was fine,” Iwaizumi fumed. The volume of his voice was steadily rising with his level of irritation, “Until his piece of shit says that I should stop letting my new boyfriend distract me and that my gameplay has been off ever since I’ve started dating him. He said that he’s just looking out for _me_ , and then just fucking left.” The pure venom in his voice sent chills down Tendou’s spine. “He has the _audacity_ to say that my gameplay is off and that I’ve been slacking on my responsibilities when he has barely been able to keep his head out of his girlfriend’s ass for more than a fucking minute. He’s a fucking hypocrite. Fuck him. I fucking hate him.”

“Hajime, hey, you don’t mean that,” Tendou cooed, hoping that his voice sounded sincere. His heart ached for Iwaizumi. All the rage and aggression were a guise to protect his softness underneath. By the amount of fury that was emanating off of him, it was safe to say that Iwaizumi was in a lot of pain from Oikawa’s words. “He probably didn’t mean it either. People say a lot of things out of anger.”

Tendou didn’t like Oikawa and frankly thought he deserved to be socked in the jaw, especially after hearing the accusations he had levied against Iwaizumi. But, he knew that his friend cared deeply for the setter. If Iwaizumi ended up saying or doing something to Oikawa out of anger, he would never forgive himself. He was not about to allow Iwaizumi to feel guilty for some pompous asshole’s narcissistic behavior, even if that meant defending said pompous asshole for a moment.

“No Satori. I mean it. If he wants to throw away this whole friendship because he doesn’t have a monopoly on my time anymore, then fine. He can go fuck himself,” Iwaizumi tried to growl, but the words came out more as a broken sob. “Never mind the fact that he’s barely spoken to me outside of practice for the past month, but God forbid, I make one friend and don’t immediately tell him. I’m obviously the asshole and the slacker here.”

“Hajime,” Tendou tried again, unsure of what words to use to comfort the man who sounded like he was on the brink of crying, “You’re not the problem here. Whatever Oikawa’s problem is, you’re not at fault, except if you count having a shitty taste in men.”

Iwaizumi let out a strangled chuckle out at Tendou’s joke and responded, “Like, you’re one to talk. You’re in love with someone who probably wants to hatefuck him, so I would argue you have equally shitty taste.”

“Ouch, that was a low blow, Hajime. I’ll let it go this time, but only because you’re sad,” Tendou winced, but Iwaizumi’s snicker on the other line soothed the sting from his comment. “Oikawa’s an ass. He doesn’t deserve you, you know.”

“So, I keep telling myself,” Iwaizumi hummed, and the tired tone of his voice was somehow worse than the anger from before. He sighed. “It would be nice if my heart could get that memo though.”

“You know,” Tendou quipped, hoping to push the melancholy out of Iwaizumi’s voice, “It’s a little funny that members from both of our teams think we’re sleeping together in a totally non-platonic way.”

“What do you mean both?” Iwaizumi deadpanned, and Tendou grinned victoriously at the lack of angst in his voice.

“I may have accidentally implied that we had sex on your dining room floor,” Tendou purred, and had to hold back a cackle at Iwaizumi’s responding coughing fit.

“How do you accidentally imply that?” he barked, and Tendou could imagine the red glow that was covering his neck right now. Tendou leaned back, so his back was flush with the mattress.

“Apparently, saying that me and a friend slept together comes out a lot more sexual than you would think,” Tendou smiled at Iwaizumi’s responding groan of irritation.

“No shit,” Iwaizumi spat, “Did you correct them at least?”

“I tried to,” Tendou pouted, “But I’m pretty sure that Yamagata still doesn’t completely believe me.”

“That’s great, Satori. Thank you, that’s exactly what I needed to hear after pretty much ruining my friendship with my best friend. That everyone on your team now thinks that we’re in an illicit love affair,” Iwaizumi groaned, but the hint of amusement in his tone made Tendou preen. “How the hell did I even get brought up?”

“Well, apparently, after I spent all afternoon practicing radio silence, they organized a search party for me, but before they could actually set out to look for me, I came storming through the door to save the day and assure them of my wellbeing,” Tendou hummed. “It was all a very touching display. Hugs were exchanged. Tears were shed. The whole shebang.”

Iwaizumi snorted, “Good to know, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“My, my little Hajime. Be patient, I was getting to that part. I had to set the scene,” Tendou scolded, before launching into the rest of his story, “After they all sobbed at my return, they bowed at my feet and asked me to never leave their side again, and I promised to them that I would try my hardest to never put them in that situation, but I’m always one to help a friend in nee—”

“So, what you’re saying is Semi yelled at you, and you got stressed out, so you blabbered out something without thinking of how it sounded,” Iwaizumi interrupted, amused, and Tendou narrowed his eyes, practically able to picture the shit-eating grin gracing his face.

“Yes, Semi yelled at me, and I got stressed out, so I bladdered out something without thinking how it sounded,” Tendou pouted, and Iwaizumi let out a howl of laughter. “You know Hajime, you’re kind of dick when you’re sad.”

“It’s a casualty of being friends with Oikawa this long,” Iwaizumi chuckled, but the returning bitter edge made Tendou’s throat clench, “Some of his shittiness rubs off on you.”

“Do you know what you’re gonna do with him?” Tendou asked. The question was so soft that it was almost a whisper.

Tendou knew that if he were in Iwaizumi’s position, he’d want him to drop the subject, to let it float away on the current of the conversation and wash up on distant shores. He liked to avoid subjects that he found uncomfortable for as long as possible by distracting with quips, jokes, and stories, even if the situation had already reached its boiling point and the heat scorched his skin. Growing up lonely made you like that: stubborn and awkward with feelings. It was a truth that Tendou had long since accepted, along with the fact that anxiety and emotional turmoil would be his constant companions.

But he didn’t want that for Iwaizumi.

While gruff and aggressive and frankly a little rude sometimes, Iwaizumi had a heart of gold and a will of steel. Tendou didn’t want to see either of them marred by indecision and insecurity, especially if either was spurred on by a bastard like Oikawa. He deserved to process his emotions in a healthy and mature way, and Tendou was committed to helping him, even though he wasn’t quite sure how to himself.

“I don’t know,” Iwaizumi hummed, “Maybe hit a couple balls at him during practice. I think that would make me feel better.”

“I’m always an advocate for abusing Oikawa,” Tendou chirped before tacking on in a lower voice, “Are you feeling better?”

“Mmm, I don’t know yet,” Iwaizumi murmured, “I’m still upset, but ranting to you definitely helped. I think maybe I’ll go for a jog and clear my head though.”

“Not a bad idea,” Tendou mumbled back and stood up from the bed, sensing that the conversation was reaching its conclusion. He lifted his free arm to the side in a stretch to pop his back before continuing, “You know I’m always here if you need anything, right?”

“Of course,” Iwaizumi smiled, and the affection in his voice warmed Tendou’s chest. “You’re a good friend, Satori.”

“So are you Hajime,” Tendou’s voice was so gentle that he could barely believe the words had left his own lips. “I’ll let you go and run to cool off, but text me when you’re done.”

With that, Iwaizumi ended the call with a soft noise to indicate goodbye. Before Tendou could relax, the creak of his door caused him to whip around, anxious that his conversation had been overheard, only to be greeted by a closed door. Wondering if he had imagined it, Tendou smacked his face with both palms to check if he was indeed actually awake. Satisfied with his assessment that it had been his imagination, Tendou exited his dorm room and skipped the entire way back to Wakatoshi’s room.

His mind was already buzzing at the idea of more accidental touches from Wakatoshi.

…………….

Shirabu was disturbed from his peaceful studying beside Reon by the sudden harsh slam of the door and the nervous pants of his flushed boyfriend who stood with his back resting on the now closed door. From their position on the floor, Reon looked up curiously at the fellow third year who seemed to be repeatedly muttering words through uneven breathes with his eyes shut tight in concentration.

“Oi, Eita, I thought you were going back to your room for your extra textbook. Why are you back so soon and so out of breath?” Shirabu’s tone was one of curiosity laced with annoyance.

Due to Taichi’s general apathy, Reon and Semi would often come over on Sunday mornings on weeks before exams to help him review material. Reon and Semi would take their turns quizzing him on the material and examining the answers to his practice tests. Their gentle criticism and helpful guidance always resulted with him feeling more confident going into the exams, though he would never actively admit that to either of them. His pride simply wouldn’t allow it.

Semi’s erratic behavior was more than a little unusual for their Sunday study sessions. Normally, he was the one scolding Taichi when he attempted to distract them from their goal. He was hardly ever the cause of the distraction.

“Shut up for a second,” Semi snapped and closed his eyes tighter, as his knuckles rapped against his skull. “Where the hell have I heard that name before? It sounds so familiar.”

“What name?” Reon chimed in, interested, and Shirabu soured at the fact that Semi didn’t snap at his comment. Instead, he opened his eyes and made honest eye contact with the sitting man.

“Hajime,” Semi stated. His nose was still scrunched in concentration, “When I dropped by my room to grab my textbook from last year, Tendou was inside talking to someone. I was just gonna slip in and grab my book without disturbing him, but then he called the person on the phone Hajime. He doesn’t call anyone outside of the team by their first name, unless he’s mocking them, and his voice was way too soft to be doing that.”

“So, what’s the problem with Tendou referring to someone by their first name. It’s not like he doesn’t have other—” Shirabu cut himself off as he pieced the clues together mid-sentence. He blinked rapidly at Semi at the realization. “You think Hajime is the name of the guy he’s always texting?”

“Yes.” Semi nodded vigorously and maneuvered himself to sit in his usual spot beside his boyfriend on the floor. “I sprinted back here as soon as I realized, and I don’t think he noticed. I know Tendou’s been vague about the details, but the name sounds so goddamn familiar. It’s bugging the hell out of me. No one in our grade is named Hajime.”

Shirabu thought for a second, scanning through the recesses of his memory to see if he could pinpoint a Hajime that Tendou might have befriended. The name was annoyingly familiar, but Shirabu was drawing a blank as far as it came to putting a face to the name. “No one in my year either that I can think of, and Tendou doesn’t seem like the kind to befriend anyone from first year. Goshiki would get too jealous if his dear senpai started babying someone else.”

Taichi snickered at the comment from his reclined position on the top bunk.

“Could it be someone from another volleyball team?” Reon suggested, looking as deep in thought as the other two. “That’s my best idea outside of our school.”

“Tendou’s hardly someone to befriend someone from another team,” Semi sighed, rubbing his temples at the thought, “He’s more the type to get jumped by them, especially Aoba Johsai.”

“You’re not wrong. He’s like a magnet for animosity,” Shirabu snorted and reopened his book, “Can we get back to studying now? The mystery of Tendou’s dear friend will still be here next week, but my test will not be.”

Reon hummed in agreement and glanced back down at his already open textbook. Semi looked like he wanted to continue to speculate on the mysterious stranger’s identity, but a sharp glare from his boyfriend made him begrudgingly let the subject go. Reon leaned over and gave Semi a strong pat on the shoulder, reassuring, “It’ll be fine Eita. I’m sure Tendou will introduce his friend to us when he’s ready. The friendship has been good for him. He’s been much happier since they started talking.”

Semi sighed.

Reon wasn’t wrong. Though he had that one particularly bad practice after the game against Seijoh, Tendou had been remarkably happier since beginning to text his new friend. In the past couple weeks, his smile and guffaws were ever-present as he tapped away on his phone. While his joy was something that should bring Semi comfort, Semi couldn’t help but fret over his friend. Tendou had confided in him at the end of their first year that he had a questionable track record with friends growing up, and the speed at which Tendou seemed to have befriended this man made Semi more than a little suspicious. 

And, though he would never admit it aloud, jealousy gnawed at Semi over the fact that Tendou seemed to prefer this new friend over him.

However, Shirabu’s glare left no room for additional conversation on the subject. Resigned, Semi leaned on his boyfriend’s shoulder and pointed to the work for a math problem on the notebook in front of him, “You forgot to carry the negative, Kenjirou.”

Shirabu flushed slightly at the correction but murmured a word of thanks nonetheless as he moved to correct his work. The room lapsed back into its studious atmosphere, as Kenjirou continued to work through his math review. Occasionally, Reon would look up from his own homework to answer a question from the young setter or look over a problem. Semi was lost in thought as he continued to heavily lean on the side of his boyfriend, but the fingers of Shirabu’s free hand threading through his hair were making it difficult to keep focus and keep his eyes open.

“Wait!” Taichi interrupted, jolting into an upright position on the top bunk. The magazine he had been reading fell into his lap, as he snapped his head to look at the other occupants of the room. “Isn’t Hajime the name of the Seijoh’s ace?”

The temperature of the room dropped at Taichi’s words, and after a moment’s hesitation, Semi jerked up from his comfortable position. His previous drowsiness vanished as he stared with narrowed eyes at the young middle blocker, “Oikawa’s little boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” Taichi spoke, as he scrambled down to sit in the empty space between Reon and Eita. “After the practice game, the pink-haired blocker, Hanamaki, was chasing after him, and he called him Hajime.”

Shirabu looked quickly between his spiraling boyfriend and his best friend. With a dry mouth, Shirabu attempted to deny the unspoken accusation. “But, he’s a part of Seijoh. Seijoh hates Tendou, and Tendou hates Seijoh.”

“Tendou hates Oikawa,” Reon corrected, closing his book to look up at Semi. There was a certain gleam of concern reflecting in his eyes, “He just thinks it’s fun to mess with the rest of the team.”

“Think about it. The timing lines up a little too well,” Taichi reasoned, as he folded his hands together seriously, “Tendou disappears for half an hour after the practice game against Seijoh and then by next Monday, boom, Tendou’s glued to his phone, texting his new buddy.”

“Seijoh’s a train ride away from the dorms,” Semi whispered with a sinking realization of the implication. His eyes were growing wide.

“It would also explain why he’s been so secretive with the identity of his new friend as well,” Reon stated, sitting back with his arms crossed over his chest. There was a sad tint coloring his voice, “He must’ve thought we would disapprove.”

“I mean, it is Oikawa’s childhood best friend,” Shirabu stated, making a face at the bad taste the setter’s name left in his mouth, “I’m a little suspicious of anyone who would choose to be friends with that guy for as long as he had.” He thought for a moment longer before bitterly adding on, “And if he has Oikawa, what would he want with Tendou? He already has his own obnoxious asshole, why try to take ours?”

“Maybe that’s what endeared Tendou to him,” Semi said, practically wincing as the words left his mouth. Concern was boiling in his chest as his brain began to piece together more parts of the puzzle. “Their personalities are somewhat similar, but if he’s dealt with Oikawa for all these years, Tendou would be like a walk in the park.”

Shirabu suddenly stood up. “We have to tell Ushijima.”

Semi’s hand reached up to grab his boyfriend by the wrist and pull him back to the ground, hissing in his ear, “That is possibly the worst idea you’ve had.”

“What do you mean?” Shirabu growled, locking eyes with Semi. “Seijoh’s ace is trying to befriend our best middle blocker. Shouldn’t we tell our captain what’s going on in case the guy tries to take advantage of Tendou?”

“Oho, is our little Ken-chan actually getting protective of Tendou? I never thought that I would see the day” Taichi quipped with a lazy grin, and Shirabu placed a well-aimed kick at Taichi’s knee with cheeks dusted pink.

“Shut up.”

“We’re not positive that Tendou’s Hajime is also Oikawa’s Hajime. If we’re wrong, we’d only be causing a problem for the team without any real cause,” Semi scolded, ignoring the second years squabble. He began to bite at the nail of his thumb, lost in thought, “And, even if he is the same person, if we approach Wakatoshi before confronting Tendou, Tendou will never forgive us.” Semi sighed, rubbing his temples again at the predicament. “Not even mentioning with Wakatoshi’s recent behavior, I have no idea how he would react finding out Oikawa’s best friend is trying to ‘steal’ Tendou away.”

Shirabu gazed up curiously at that comment.

“What’s been wrong with Ushijima’s behavior?”

“Well, ever since Tendou has made his new friend, he’s been spending less time with Wakatoshi, and Wakatoshi hasn’t been handling the distance well,” Reon hummed, “He’s been much more moody lately, and he was almost unhinged when we couldn’t find Tendou yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that stressed before.”

“So what?” Shirabu pouted, “He would’ve reacted that way if anyone on the team went missing without a clue. He’s our captain after all.”

“He also looked ready to rip someone apart when he thought Tendou was sleeping with the guy,” Semi exhaled. He felt a headache coming on behind his eyes the more he discussed the situation.

“Not to mention his reaction in the locker room when he thought that Tendou got a boyfriend without telling us. I thought he was gonna tear the locker door off,” Taichi remarked, and at Shirabu’s confused glance, added on, “Oh yeah, you had already stormed out. Yamagata made a joke about Tendou having a boyfriend, and Ushijima got super pissy.”

“So, you’re saying that Ushijima has a crush on Tendou, and would be violently jealous if he found out who Tendou’s friend was?” Shirabu deadpanned. His disbelief palpable, “You’ve gotta be kidding. Ushijima likes pretty boys. He’s borderline obsessed with Oikawa, and Tendou doesn’t exactly fit the bill.”

“I don’t know if it’s as simple as a crush. Wakatoshi has never really been in touch with his romantic feelings. He’s taunted Oikawa for years, but whether that’s due to attraction to his looks, or just his volleyball skill is up to the observer,” Reon supposed. His kind eyes turned towards Shirabu as he spoke, “Tendou is very important to Wakatoshi, maybe even more so than anybody on the team. He was the first one to forge a strong connection with Wakatoshi. The rest of us just followed his example. Whether his feelings are romantic or platonic, I don’t think Wakatoshi likes the idea of Tendou growing distant due to a new person entering their dynamic.” Reon huffed out a sigh before continuing, “And if that person was Iwaizumi, who has already posed as an obstacle in his relationship Oikawa, I can’t imagine that Wakatoshi would react well.”

“So, are you suggesting that we just hide this new revelation from our captain?” Shirabu stated slowly. The fact that Semi and Reon were seriously suggesting keeping secrets from their friend and captain weighed heavily on his conscience. Ushijima was someone who he greatly admired, and he didn’t like the idea of betraying him.

“Not hiding, just being cautious with the information,” Reon stated, gazing at the room as a whole. “And not just Wakatoshi, but with Tendou, Tsutomu, and Hayato too. We should try to find more evidence that Tendou’s Hajime is Iwaizumi Hajime before we tell anyone else about this revelation.” His eyes then slid back to Shirabu, looking a little sterner than before. “And Tendou should be the first one we tell, and he can decide what he wants to do. We’re not his parents. We don’t get to decide what we think is best for him.”

“Fine.” The response was clipped from Shirabu’s lips, and he hoped that the other members in the room could feel his irritation at this solution. Semi and Taichi simply hummed in agreement with Reon, and an uncomfortable silence enveloped the room, as Reon and Shirabu returned to studying with a new tension between them. When Semi tried to lay a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, Shirabu shrugged it off with annoyance, and Semi just rolled his eyes in response, taking out his phone to scroll aimlessly.

“For real though,” Taichi broke the silence by leaning over to Shirabu with mischievous eyes antagonizing his bored smile, “do you think they’re actually hooking up?”

“Kawanishi!” Shirabu hissed and felt heat rising to his face at the suggestion. Semi snorted slightly.

“What, don’t act like you’re not at least a little curious,” Taichi mused, amusement coloring his expression at Shirabu’s embarrassment, “It would explain how they got so close in such a short amount of time.”

Shirabu sent a scalding glare his way in response, but the tension in air was somewhat cleared by Taichi’s inappropriate question. Refocusing on his studies, Shirabu heard Taichi amble his way back up to his top bunk as the ladder groaned under his weight. Discreetly, Shirabu’s free hand reached out to find Semi’s and interlocked their fingers. A silent apology for his dismissiveness.

And so, they spent the rest of the morning toiling away over papers and problems, and Shirabu tried to ignore the tugging thought that he was not a good enough liar to make this upcoming week bearable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is, uh, kinda an asshole in this chapter, but I promise it's just because he's a member of the Bad with Feelings Club...... Well, that and jealousy isn't a good look on him. Also, Taichi calling Shirabu 'Ken-chan' was idea inspired by a comic by miintee on Twitter. I highly recommend checking out their UshiTen art, if you haven't already. 
> 
> First all, thanks to my awesome beta reader who helps me polish every chapter. Second of all, thank you to all of the readers of this story. :) This would not be possible without your continued support, and I can't express how much it means to me that you all continue to read and enjoy my story. 
> 
> I hope you all have a lovely night, and I'll see you guys next week!


	7. A Change in Normal

_I don’t think I’m gonna survive another week of this._

The thought hummed in his head as another one of Goshiki’s spikes successfully glanced off of his fingers and hurdled to the ground. Goshiki uttered a hiss of frustration at his inability to break through the wall of the opposing team. Yamagata attempted to rush forward to save the blocked hit, but his fingers just barely missed the ball as he dove. A small curse slipped past the libero’s lips as the referee blew the whistle to award a point for Tendou’s team, bringing them to match point. A sloppy grin slid onto Tendou’s face, and he flashed a peace sign at the shorter man before turning to the future ace.

Washijo had decided that the last activity of Friday’s practice would be a four-on-four scrimmage between the starters of Shiratorizawa and a couple members of the regular team, while the rest of the team would focus on cleaning up the gym. The coach had placed Shirabu and Goshiki on the same team, claiming that the setter needed to build trust with the younger wing spiker. He was still too hesitant sending sets in his direction, and it was affecting the rhythm of the entire team. Taichi had snorted at the setter’s red tinged ears until he was appointed to their team with a suggestion that he block at least one of Ushijima’s spikes successfully, if he didn’t want to do serving drills all of next practice. Taichi’s resounding silence had Shirabu fighting to keep a smirk off his face. Yamagata was assigned as their libero, given the simple instructions, “keep the ball in play as long as possible for the younger members”. Semi was drafted to set for Ushijima and Tendou on the opposing side, which seemed to please the man immensely by the way he puffed out his chest, and Reon was to be their stand-in libero for some additional practice on his receives.

“Nice power, Tsutomu, but you still need to work on making your approach less obvious if you want to get one past me,” Tendou smirked, shaking the tingling feeling from his fingers. The cheeks of the first year burned at the correction, but he nodded and thanked him for the suggestion, nonetheless.

Watching the opposite team move back into their formation, Tendou mused that the current format really wasn’t fair to them. The third years were a machine that was well-oiled by the mutual trust and familiarity that had been built up over years of practicing together. While he would begrudgingly admit Shirabu was a more skilled setter in terms of technique and game sense, there was something comfortingly familiar about Semi’s tosses that made Tendou’s arms swing just a little bit faster before connecting with the ball. He knew that Wakatoshi could feel it too from the glint in his eye after each hit. When combined with Reon’s stable receives, their rhythm was a steady drum overpowering the offbeat cadence of the opposing court.

Shirabu did not have the same infallible trust built up with the spikers on his team. The tension on the other side of the court was mounting with each failed play and point added to the scoreboard. There was frustration in Shirabu’s eyes as he tersely explained to Taichi that he should at least try to be a convincing decoy every so often. In response, Taichi just shrugged and said his legs were too tired to be a decoy every time, sending both Goshiki and Shirabu into a rage.

It was everything Yamagata could do to keep the ball in the air. He kept sending pleading eyes over to Reon, begging him to switch for one match, but Reon purposefully avoided his gaze, playing dumb.

“Good block, Tendou,” Wakatoshi rumbled next to him suddenly, and Tendou felt a warm touch on his lower back before Wakatoshi maneuvered back into his position. Heat crawled up Tendou’s spine, and he wanted so dearly to whine at the loss of contact. The ghost of the captain’s touch burned his skin

“Thanks, Toshi,” Tendou grumbled miserably under his breath, pushing down his feelings. Wakatoshi, that bastard, gave him a gentle smile.

_I’m gonna die, and this man is going to be the cause of it._

After their borderline cuddle session on Sunday, Tendou had thought that Wakatoshi would have gotten his fill of affection and returned to his normal behavior. The ace was not entirely keen on physical contact outside the occasional congratulatory pat on the back or shoulder touch of reassurance. He firmly believed that Wakatoshi’s open affection was a one time occurrence, spurred on by Tendou’s unexplained disappearance the day before. Everything would return to normal when the residual need to have him close passed. The warmth of the captain’s hands on his skin would only exist in the memories as he relieved them in his head.

However, everything quickly spiraled out of control when, with mounting horror, Tendou realized that the experience had not satiated Wakatoshi but rather awakened a hunger for physical contact. During Monday morning practice Tendou had practically jumped out of his skin when Wakatoshi’s large fingers trailed down the length of his back, praising him for a particularly good hit. The rest of the team had gone silent as they watched in a twisted mixture of shock and fascination at the sudden change in their captain’s behavior. It had only escalated from that point. At lunch, in the hallways, on the court, in the locker room, even in the supplies closet, Wakatoshi would look for any excuse to engage in physical contact with fleeting fingers and clumsy caresses.

It wasn’t that Tendou was the only target of Wakatoshi’s new affections.

Reon and Semi had both received a fair share of lingering touches, which they had each responded to warmly despite the general confusion about where the new behavior had come from. Yamagata had grinned like a madman after a firm back pat from the stoic captain in response to an impressive dig. A vicious blush had terrorized Shirabu’s face when Wakatoshi had rubbed his shoulder in solidarity after he received a less than perfect score on the test he studied for, and Semi was sent into an awful mood for the rest of Wednesday night. Tendou, personally, had been afraid poor Goshiki would combust when the captain had ruffled his hair to say goodbye last night.

So, it wasn’t that Tendou was Wakatoshi’s only target.

But it just so happened that Tendou was Wakatoshi’s favorite target.

Due to their established closeness, the captain had focused the majority of his attention on Tendou. Wakatoshi would wrap his fingers around Tendou’s wrist to catch his attention, bump his shoulder while passing in the hallways, and even trace circles on the redhead’s thigh under the table at lunch. It was both exhilarating and exhausting. While one part of Tendou was overjoyed that the stoic man finally trusted them enough to engage in physical contact, another larger part of Tendou was suffering under the constant attention. His feelings for Wakatoshi made it so his every touch was seared into his skin, burning whenever the captain passed by. By the time he collapsed into bed at night, his nerves were wound so tight that it would take hours to relax enough to slip into slumber.

Every night this week, he had called Iwaizumi to lament about his situation, but he had been greeted with apathetic laughter on the other line, teasing that Tendou was in too deep now to turn back. The only sympathy that Iwaizumi had proposed was an offer to grab dinner with him on Friday after their own respective practices, as a reprieve from his team. He had accepted the proposal but only after making his misery about the situation perfectly clear to the other party.

_But, I have to survive this practice to even make it there._

Readying to serve again, Semi stood at the edge of the court, dribbling the ball experimentally on the ground a couple of times. Yamagata groaned and readied his stance, annoyed with the fact that he was going to have to receive Semi’s serve another time. With the whistle from the appointed referee, the ball went up with a clean, straight toss. Semi’s hand slammed into it, smashing it into the other court. A wicked smile lit up his face as Yamagata winced with the impact of the receive.

“Shirabu!” Yamagata called as the ball went up into a clean arc to the setter’s position, and Shirabu rushed under the ball. The set was clean and simple as it met Taichi’s open palm, and the ball rocketed towards the corner of Tendou’s side. Reon, already in position, popped the ball up easily to Semi who in turn set it to an approaching Wakatoshi.

Yamagata managed to dig Wakatoshi’s spike, but even Tendou grimaced at the smack the ball made as it connected with the libero’s arms. Shirabu raced to the opposite side of the court. His fingers were already readying to send the ball to his choice of hitter.

From there, a couple of volleys were exchanged between the opposing sides of the court. Goshiki was able to get a spike that would have surely won their team a point had it not been for Tendou’s fingers slowing the momentum enough for Reon to receive. Taichi made an honest attempt at blocking one of Wakatoshi’s spikes, and the ball glanced off his fingers. Exhausted from retrieving the other third-years vicious hits for the entirety of the game, Yamagata barely managed to retrieve the ball, and Shirabu’s sloppy set to Taichi was soon blocked by a grinning Tendou.

“Taichi, as my protégé, I expected better from you, such a careless approach,” Tendou tsked, and the younger middle blocker sent him a scathing glare which only fueled the grin further. Being declared the winners of the scrimmage, Washijo dismissed Tendou’s team to get water, along with an exhausted Yamagata who had been pitied for his effort receiving Wakatoshi’s spikes. One of the assistant coaches thanked them for their hard work today, as the coach began to admonish Goshiki and the two second years for their shoddy game play.

As the five members ambled their way over to their water bottles, Wakatoshi’s hand once again found its way to the small of Tendou’s back. The warm pressure sent a blush rocketing up Tendou’s neck.

“Good game, Tendou.” The affirmation was as gentle as Wakatoshi’s expression. The corners of his lips were turned up at the smallest angle, and his green eyes danced with an energized light, despite his sweat-soaked skin. With a hum of acknowledgement from Tendou, Wakatoshi removed his hand and moved to bestow his affection on the other members of his team.

_This man is absolutely going to be the death of me._

The third years all sat on the gym floor to sip from their water bottles, conversing as they cooled off from the practice match and stretched their overworked muscles. Despite his obvious physical exhaustion, Yamagata bragged about how he was going to woo a girl from a nearby university who agreed to go to dinner tomorrow night. Semi barely managed to hide his snort of amusement when Tendou quipped that “you need money to be able to woo someone”. Yamagata let out an outburst of righteous indignation with a flushed face, which only succeeded in sending Semi and Tendou into matching fits of laughter when his voice cracked on the last syllable. Embarrassed, the libero lunged forward to swipe at Tendou who only just managed to roll out of his reach. His responding howl of laughter only made Yamagata more flustered. Wakatoshi watched the whole scenario play out silently, but the twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement.

“Semi, are you and Shirabu still coming with me to the movie after practice?” Reon finally interrupted the bickering between the other three third years, poorly hiding the amusement flashing in his eyes.

“Maybe,” Semi stated, trying to calm the residual chuckling in his chest. He jerked his thumb in the direction of the younger members whose heads were all hung in shame as Washijo continued to berate them. “Depends on how much longer Coach is going to yell at them for. I don’t think Kenjirou will be in the mood for a movie if it keeps going on like this.”

As if hearing Semi’s words, the coach’s roars stopped, and silence rang through the gym. The man then turned and stomped out of the building without another word. Wakatoshi and Yamagata took this as a sign to head to the showers and each exchanged some words of goodbyes before standing to leave. Wakatoshi’s hand found its way into Tendou’s hair for a brief second as he made his exit. The gaggle of younger members trudged over in the direction of their remaining seniors. Their faces ranged from disappointment to irritation at the last ten minutes of admonishments they had received. Goshiki was the first one to speak. His ears were red with shame, and his face was curled with frustration, as he went to stand by the still sitting redhead.

“Tendou-senpai, would you be able to stay a little later to help me practice some more blocks?” The request was seeped in uncertainty, as the younger one fidgeted under his gaze. Tendou felt guilt gnaw at his stomach at the impending disappointment at his answer.

Normally, Tendou would have accepted Goshiki’s request in a heartbeat. Whether he tried to deny it or not, Tendou had a huge soft spot for the youngest of the team. The few times the kid had worked up the courage to ask him, Tendou found himself staying hours after practice ended with stinging fingers and sage advice. Always the perfect student, Goshiki would pay rapt attention and preen under every compliment Tendou lauded onto him. The after-practice sessions were some of Tendou favorite moments with the future ace.

“Sorry Tsutomu. I can’t tonight,” Tendou refused as gently as possible but still felt his heart sink as the boy deflated at his rejection. “Not that I don’t want to! It’s just I can’t.” The guilt was growing with each moment he looked at the boy’s downcast face. He tried to lighten the mood. “Plus, Semi and Shirabu are busy, so we wouldn’t have a setter to help us out.”

The entire team stilled at Tendou’s response, unused to him refusing any request from the young wing spiker. Opening gawking, Semi turned his way. There was an unspoken question on his lips, but his eyes showed restraint at actually asking the question.

Shirabu did not share in the same restraint.

“Why can’t you tonight?” Shirabu shouldered his way past Goshiki and stared down at Tendou with something akin to suspicion. The tone of his voice was surprisingly harsh, even though the question was rather innocent. There was an obvious fatigue in his shoulders, but Tendou’s refusal seemed to have lit some kind of fire under him. “I’ll even stay and set a couple balls for you if having a setter is what you’re really worried about.”

Goshiki perked up at the setter’s words, turning in his direction with an excitable look on his face. “Really Shirabu? I thought you said that you’d rather die than stay late and help—”

“Shut up,” Shirabu hissed, shooting a quick glare in the boy’s direction. Goshiki’s nose crinkled in irritation at the dismissiveness but stopped his rambling nonetheless. The setter’s eyes were analyzing as he turned his attention back to Tendou. “Well, what do you say?”

“I just made some plans already for later tonight,” Tendou admitted, confused by the sudden hostility radiating off of the setter. Shirabu had been exhibiting weird behavior all week from glancing at Tendou’s screen whenever he was playing on it, to asking who the redhead was talking to whenever a text vibrated, to even openly staring when he thought that the middle blocker’s attention was elsewhere. Tendou had just chalked it up to Semi expressing concern and asking his boyfriend to keep an eye out for him, which was sweet if not slightly misguided. However, none of Shirabu’s behaviors had been this outwardly aggressive before. “Besides, don’t you and Semisemi have a little movie date planned with Reon?”

“I can show up a little late, if needed,” Shirabu stated simply. His expression was still intense and calculating in the face of Tendou’s questions as he continued. “I just want to know what’s so important that you can’t stay to help your struggling junior who’s asking for your help, when you’re usually the first one to volunteer. Are you not personally invested in his success?”

“Kenjirou.” Semi’s voice was cool with annoyance, but Shirabu ignored the scolding of his boyfriend and looked at the middle blocker in front of him on the ground expectantly. 

Tendou felt irritation warm his chest at the accusation that he was neglecting his duty as an older member of the team. Of course he was invested in Goshiki’s success. Everyone could see that he had big shoes to fill next year when Wakatoshi and the rest of the third years left. A saccharine smile pulled on the redhead’s lips as he responded, “I made plans with my dear friend, and it would be a little rude to just suddenly cancel on them, wouldn’t you say?”

“You would only be a little late if you stayed and practiced for a couple more tosses,” Shirabu pushed without reacting to the sarcasm dripping like honey from Tendou’s voice. “Unless, you were traveling somewhere that was far enough away that you would miss a train or something, which seems irresponsible on your part when we have practice first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Kenjirou, that’s enough," Semi snapped, and even Reon bristled slightly under the words.

“It’s just a little train ride, Shirabu. My dear friend is respectful of my previous commitments to my team. I’m a responsible adult who knows how to manage my time,” Tendou tutted before adding on with a much darker voice, “And I wasn’t aware I needed my junior’s permission to leave the campus.”

“Your behavior on Saturday says differently on both accounts,” Shirabu deadpanned, overlooking Tendou’s attempt to get a rise out of him. He strode a step closer to Tendou, ignoring Semi’s warning to let it go, and peered down at him with a sly glint in his eye. “I’m just curious about why this new friend of yours is important enough to not help out Goshiki, but somehow not important for us to know the name of.”

“He’s shy,” Tendou cooed and batted his eyes coquettishly. Much to Tendou’s delight, his response caused frustration to break through Shirabu’s collected demeanor.

“Not shy enough to stop him from trying to seduce you away to his team apparently,” Shirabu snarled, but the genuine hurt reflecting in his eyes caused Tendou’s hot irritation to be replaced with numb confusion.

Tendou just blinked up at the young setter standing in front of him, startled.

“Wait, what do you mean trying to ‘seduce me away to his team’?”

However, before Shirabu could respond, Semi and Reon were on their feet, pushing their way between Tendou and the younger setter. Their faces were apologetic, but their eyes were steeled with irritation as Semi gripped his boyfriend’s shoulders and steered him towards the doors of the gym.

“Sorry Tendou. Kenjirou is getting cranky, so we’re just gonna head out to the movie before it gets worse,” Semi called over his shoulder, as he ushered the bristling Shirabu out of the gym with Reon on his heels. Right before they were out of ear shot, Tendou swore he heard Semi hiss, “Do you know the meaning of the word _subtlety_?”

Tendou blinked rapidly, urging his brain to process what had just occurred. He was at a loss as to how to react. Turning to the two remaining members of the party, Tendou quirked an eyebrow and queried, “It’s not just me, that was weird right?”

Goshiki nodded vigorously, but Taichi just shrugged in response.

“Kenjirou has been wound pretty tight lately because of school. He probably just finally snapped and spouted some nonsense,” the younger middle blocker mused casually, but the stiffness in his shoulders as he turned to Goshiki was odd enough for Tendou to question the actual casualness of his statement. “C’mon Goshiki, since Tendou is busy, I’ll help you practice for like twenty minutes.”

The future ace perked up at the proposition, forgetting the previous topic of conversation, “Really? You never want to play after practice with me.”

“I’m making an exception this time. Let’s go, bowl cut,” Taichi drawled and looped his arm around Goshiki’s shoulders to guide him back to the court. He turned over his shoulder and flashed Tendou a peace sign. “Have fun with your friend Tendou.”

Tendou just nodded, bewildered.

_What the hell just happened?_

He shook off the confusion, chalking it up to stress with school, but there was a lingering sense of unease as he gathered his things that there was a deeper issue bothering Shirabu he was not yet aware of.

.…………….

“Anyway, how’s it going with Ushijima?”

Tendou looked up from his tray of fries at Iwaizumi. The way his lips were pulled into a shit-eating grin and his eyes were alight with humor made the redhead scowl at his dear friend. After Kawanishi and Goshiki’s hasty exit from the conversation, Tendou had made quick work of getting ready and headed out to meet Iwaizumi at a fast-food restaurant that was approximately between Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa. Since his practice had ended shortly before Tendou’s, Iwaizumi was already leaning against the outside of the building with beanie pulled over his ears and a denim jacket protecting his arms from the cool night air when Tendou had arrived. The two volleyball players had exchanged pleasantries while they ordered food, and Iwaizumi dictated the events of his practice, grumbling about how Hanamaki and Matsukawa were teasing him when he said he already had plans for the night. Tendou didn’t mention the fact that his description lacked any mention of Oikawa.

After receiving their food, the two sat down at a nearby booth, and Iwaizumi directed the topic of conversation away from himself as he began to tear into his meal.

“He’s going to kill me,” Tendou moaned and stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth, savoring the sting of the salt before continuing. “I don’t think you understand, Hajime. This man didn’t participate in any team hugs until our second year of high school. That’s the kind of person he is. It’s not like he’s adverse to physical contact, but he doesn’t actively _seek_ it out. He never has, and I thought he never would. Now, it feels like anytime he’s in my vicinity, he’s always touching me. I am _suffering_.”

Iwaizumi snorted, amused.

“I’m glad that you find my suffering so amusing,” Tendou lamented and stuffed another handful of fries into his mouth, chewing bitterly as he glared at the grinning man across the table from him. His petulant behavior only added to Iwaizumi’s amusement, as the shorter man leaned forward and swiped a fry off of Tendou’s plate. The redhead squawked in protest. “Stop taking mine! Eat your own.”

“I already finished mine,” Iwaizumi complained and shook his empty container before leaning forward to swipe another. Tendou smacked his hand away from the tray, and Iwaizumi looked at him, pouting. “We both know you’re only gonna finish half of them and then leave the rest to get cold.”

“Fine, have at it, but don’t forget to breathe. You practically inhaled your burgers,” Tendou lamented, bewildered by the appetite of the man in front of him. He immediately grabbed a fistful of Tendou’s fries and relocated them to his own plate. “Are you really just a bottomless pit for food?”

Iwaizumi shrugged as he aptly alternated between taking a swig of his soda and stuffing more fries into his mouth. “Practice makes me hungry.”

Tendou wrinkled his nose in disgust, but he couldn’t deny that the familiarity that Iwaizumi regarded him with made his chest warm with fondness. The man was quickly becoming one of his closest friends. Normally, the speed at which he befriended Iwaizumi would make him uneasy, wary of the intentions of the other person. Honestly, if it were anyone else, Tendou supposed that he would be wary. Iwaizumi felt different though, as if it were impossible for him to be anything less than genuine. The conversation lapsed back into a comfortable silence as Tendou continued to graze over the remaining items on his plate and Iwaizumi focused on inhaling the remnants of his food.

“Satori,” Iwaizumi stopped his munching for a moment to call Tendou’s attention back over to him. His face was suddenly very serious as he regarded the man in front of him, “Are you sure that Ushijima would reject a confession from you?”

“What do you mean?” Tendou stopped his casual eating to stare at his friend. His voice was colored with confusion and a hint of amusement, as if there was a joke that he had somehow missed.

“I mean,” Iwaizumi started and aggressively wiped a napkin across the lower half of his face. His serious expression had an edge of nervousness about it, “from what you’ve told me, Ushijima seems to really value you, and typically, friends don’t go out of their way to caress you every second of every day.” Tendou’s ears burned at the phrasing. “I just—Are you positive that Ushijima doesn’t have any feelings for you?”

“He’s not in love with me, Hajime,” Tendou deadpanned, but his traitorous heart still thudded with hope at the suggestion.

“You keep saying that,” Iwaizumi sighed, cracking his knuckles in frustration, “But are you sure? Do you have any reason to believe that he wouldn’t like you? The way he cares about you seems to surpass friendship. It’s not like he’s ever dated someone. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to process all that emotional crap and needs that push forward.”

“I’m not his type.” The words were meant to be sharp, cutting the conversation in its tracks, but as they tumbled out of his lips, they came out pitiful and bitter. Iwaizumi looked stricken at the sudden change in tone, an apology already dancing in his eyes. Tendou tried to recover his dignity, steeling his tone as he continued. “Pretty boys are his type. _Oikawa_ is his type, not someone who looks like me.”

Iwaizumi’s hand darted across the table and reached for Tendou’s.

“Sorry. I won’t bring it up again,” Iwaizumi murmured, remorseful, and squeezed his hand in a sign of remorse. Tendou gave a small smile in return and dragged his thumb over the back of the other’s hand, an unspoken acceptance of his apology, “But, you know you’re not unattractive though right? You should have some more confidence in yourself. You’re not ugly because you don’t look like _him_. You’re just you.”

“Oh my, are you flirting with me to make me feel better, Hajime?” Tendou purred and linked their hands together, watching in amusement as Iwaizumi flushed and tried to wrestle his hand from Tendou. “You should really try and restrain yourself. What would your teammates think of you trying to seduce me?”

“Shut up, you jackass. I was trying to cheer you up,” Iwaizumi barked, finally wrenching his hand away, but the aggressive tone lacked any bite. Much to Tendou’s delight, Iwaizumi’s neck was bright red. It was almost cute how easily flustered the ace got. “See if I try and cheer you up ever again.”

Tendou giggled, high and loud. Warm affection was flooding his chest as he looked at the man. Iwaizumi gave a huff of amusement in response and shook his head as he resumed consuming his food, happy that the mood was no longer sour. Their friendship was refreshing. Tendou’s team was important to him, but all of the baggage and emotions tied to their relationships sometimes weighed on him more than he would admit. Disagreements got carried both onto and off of the court and living in close proximity only aggravated the conflicts. With Iwaizumi, everything felt easy.

“Did I tell you I beat Taichi and poor Tsutomu into the dirt during the practice game?” Tendou quipped, and at the shake of Iwaizumi’s head, launched into a vivid description of the game. He illustrated each move and play with an accompanying hand gesture, and Iwaizumi snickered at the blatant exaggerated impersonations of the members of the Shiratorizawa team. It was nice.

They sat there in the corner booth of the brightly colored restaurant with a conversation flowing easily and freely between them as an hour passed. The harsh fluorescent lights caused Tendou’s ungelled hair to practically glow, and Iwaizumi’s jacket and beanie were tucked safely next to him in the warmth of the restaurant. As more time passed, however, the warmth of the restaurant became stifling and the hard plastic of the booth made Tendou’s bones ache from sitting too long.

“Hajime, can we head out? I think I’m gonna start sweating if we keep sitting here,” Tendou questioned when the combination of suffocating heat and the throbbing in his back became too much to bear. Iwaizumi sighed a breath of relief, already moving to stand up.

“Thank god. I thought it was only me.”

They chatted pleasantly as they exited the restaurant. A trash can by the entrance provided an easy way to dispose of their trash as they left and entered the darkness outside. Tendou had to refrain from moaning in relief as the night air nipped his heated skin. He stretched his arms far above his head and heard a satisfying series of pops from his back, indicating his body’s protests at the period of stagnation inside the building. Iwaizumi seemed to share a similar sentiment as he cracked his neck to each side before reaching down to touch his toes. Satisfied with his stretches, he turned to Tendou, a little grin playing on his lips, and opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted.

“Oi, Iwaizumi! Is that you?”

Confused, Iwaizumi looked around Tendou at the source of the shout, and the grin on his face was wiped off, replaced by a grimace. Underneath his breath, he cursed. “Shit.”

“What? Who is it?” Tendou murmured, resisting the urge to turn around without Iwaizumi’s confirmation, but Iwaizumi didn’t seem to hear it as he was transfixed on the person calling him in the near distance. Hastily, Iwaizumi pushed his beanie into Tendou hands with the command to put it on to hide his hair. The middle blocker did as he was requested and stuffed his hair into the dark fabric. Reaching out and tucking a stray lock of hair into the beanie, Iwaizumi nodded sagely in approval.

“I’m gonna go talk to them real fast and get rid of them. I don’t think they recognized you with your hair down, so just stay back here,” Iwaizumi hissed to Tendou and jogged a couple meters past him to meet the advancing strangers. Confusion was building in Tendou as to who could be causing this reaction in Iwaizumi. However, Iwaizumi answered that question himself when he shouted, “Hanamaki and Matsukawa, what are doing all the way over here?”

At the mention of their names, Tendou chanced a glance over his shoulder and was greeted with the sight of Iwaizumi’s fellow third years. They were both dressed in casual clothing and had identical grins on their faces at the sight of their ace.

“Makki likes the profiteroles from a bakery around here. They’re closed on Saturdays, so we wanted to pick some up before they closed tonight,” Matsukawa’s voice was remarkably clear considering that he and Iwaizumi were conversing a good couple meters away from Tendou. Hanamaki nodded to confirm Matsukawa’s assertion, rustling the paper bag clutched in his hand as proof. “The better question is what you’re doing here. I thought you said you had plans with a school friend. What are you doing all the way out here?”

“And are you gonna introduce us to your friend over there?” Hanamaki’s face lit up with a smirk wide enough for even Tendou to see in the darkened street and waved in the redhead’s direction, projecting his voice, “Yoo-hoo, Iwaizumi’s friend. We can see you. Our dear Iwa seems to want to hide you away from us.”

Tendou gave a weak wave back, worried that the two might recognize his voice if he responded.

“Stop it. You’re gonna freak him out,” Iwaizumi huffed out and swatted at Hanamaki’s hand. “And I never said it was a school friend. He goes to another school. This place is right in between my house and his place, so we decided to meet up for dinner here.”

“Oh, so it’s _that_ friend,” Matsukawa remarked, and the mischief cavorting through his tone was enough for even a relative stranger like Tendou to pick up on. Iwaizumi bristled at the insinuation, but Matsukawa ignored him, choosing instead to turn to Hanamaki. “Who would’ve thought that we would be the first ones to catch a glimpse of Iwaizumi’s mysterious suitor.”

“What do you mean _that_ friend?” 

“Oikawa was all up in a tizzy last week about how some guy from another school was sleeping over at your house and how you’ve been calling and texting that guy all the time. He was very distressed over the fact that you got a _secret boyfriend_ without telling him and that you two got into a fight,” Matsukawa remarked.

“There were lots of tears and yelling. All very theatrical,” Hanamaki helpfully tacked on, and Matsukawa nodded vigorously in agreement. “Did you know that Oikawa is an ugly crier?”

“Of course he would go whine to you guys after being an asshole,” Iwaizumi sighed. Exasperation stained his tone, and it made Tendou’s heart ache with worry for the man. While he had suspected that this distance from Oikawa was taking a hard toll on Iwaizumi, hearing the confirmation of his suspicions was another matter altogether. “That’s easier than just apologizing.”

Tendou strained to hear the next line of the conversation as Mastukawa’s voice lowered in volume, “Are you two still not talking outside of practice?”

“No.” Iwaizumi’s voice was more tired than it had been in the restaurant. “We’re not.”

“You know you can talk to us if you need.” Hanamaki’s tone was remarkably gentle, and Tendou was sure that if he was closer that his expression would hold a similar softness. “We’re your friends too, not just Oikawa’s.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, and I appreciate you and Matsu,” Iwaizumi rumbled, trying to shake off the suddenly serious conversation. “I’m just not ready to talk about it yet. When Oikawa decides to apologize, then maybe I can talk, but I’m just not ready yet.”

“Okay, okay. Then I’ll stop interrogating you and let you get back to your little _date_ ,” Hanamaki commented, but his voice didn’t sound entirely convinced by Iwaizumi’s words. He waved in Tendou’s direction again and shouted, “Goodbye Iwaizumi’s boyfriend! It would be lovely to meet you one day!” 

“We’re not dating,” Iwaizumi bristled but waved goodbye to the couple as they walked off in the opposite direction, arms interlocked. After they were far enough away, Iwaizumi made his way back over to Tendou. His expression was apologetic, as he came back over. “Sorry about that. They’re good friends, but nosy as hell.”

“Are you trying to hide me away from your teammates?” Tendou teased, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as they began to stroll down the street together, shoulders occasionally bumping against each other.

“Yes,” Iwaizumi stated and grinned slightly at the hurt look that flashed across Tendou’s face. He reached up and gave him a soft scuff on the back of the head. “While Makki and Matsu are two of the most loyal and caring people you can find, they can’t keep a secret from Oikawa for shit. I don’t really feel like dealing with Oikawa being even more of a dick to you during our practice game with Shiratorizawa next week just because Mastu and Makki can’t keep their mouths shut. Maybe after the game I can finally introduce you to the team if you want.”

“I don’t think your team will be very excited to meet me,” Tendou mused. His mood had brightened considerably with Iwaizumi’s words, despite the anxious feeling in his stomach at the prospect of meeting Seijoh’s members outside of the professional setting of volleyball. He was sure that Matsukawa and Hanamaki disliked him for all of the taunts and teases he levied their way during games. Iwaizumi himself had admitted previously that he had disliked Tendou due to his gameplay.

“It’s alright,” Iwaizumi turned to him and smiled widely. His fist reached out and gently punched his arm in a sign of affection and reassurance, “I’ll vouch for you, and once they get to know you, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Tendou snorted at the confidence radiating off Iwaizumi as he made the statement, but it was oddly endearing. He had faith in not only the strength of their friendship but also in Tendou’s character, which the redhead was not used to. During his younger years, many adults had told him that if he just acted differently, people might be willing to look past his unsettling outer appearance and be his friend. It was a harsh criticism to levy on a child, and Tendou would be lying if he said it hadn’t affected him deeply. Afterall, he was just a lonely kid. It felt nice to hear that despite the teases, jabs, and sarcasm, Iwaizumi still liked him and thought that his teammates would like him eventually as well.

“Wait,” Tendou stopped, broken out of his previous train of thoughts as his brain finally processed Iwaizumi’s previous comments. He looked at him wildly. “Did you say that we’re having another practice game against Aoba Johsai?”

“Yeah?” Iwaizumi answered carefully. There was clear confusion in his expression at Tendou’s surprise reaction but continued on regardless. “Next Friday Aoba Johsai is traveling to Shiratorizawa for a practice game. Apparently, your coach offered to host one. I think it has something to do with getting your first-year player some more in game experience, at least that’s what Coach made it sound like. On the other hand, I think our coach was just happy to have additional practice against Shiratorizawa before the actual tournament.” Iwaizumi paused and looked bewildered at Tendou. “Were you guys not told yet?”

Tendou shook his head enthusiastically. A new excitement was building in his chest.

A practice game against Aoba Johsai meant that he would get to face Iwaizumi on the court. Iwaizumi, who was now a dear friend, had a spike that made his hands hurt almost as much as Wakatoshi’s. His fingers were practically itching in anticipation of blocking each and every one of Iwaizumi’s spikes.

“Fuck. Don’t tell anyone on your team yet until they make the announcement,” Iwaizumi groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. His ears were tinged red with embarrassment at the slip up, but Tendou couldn’t even bring himself to tease him about it. He was too excited at the impending thrill of the game. “I thought that Coach was joking when he said that he was telling us early so that Oikawa could have a week to process before the actual game. Goddamit. I should’ve known that you weren’t told yet when you didn’t immediately mention it.”

“Don’t worry Hajime. Your little slip up is safe with me. I won’t tell a single soul,” Tendou quipped. He was practically buzzing with anticipation at this point. His voice dropped slightly in pitch as he purred, “But, I hope you know that I’m gonna block every single one of your spikes. We might be friends now, but you’re not gonna get a single point passed me on the court.”

At the issue of a challenge, Iwaizumi glanced up at Tendou. All previous embarrassment was gone from his face, replaced with a feral grin and a wild look as he met Tendou’s eyes.

“Wanna bet on that?” The growl was low and gravely as Iwaizumi savored every word of the declaration, and Tendou felt excited chills climb his spine. The game, no matter the outcome, was going to be a good one.

It wasn’t until later that night when Tendou was safely snuggled in his bed with the lights off and the blanket pulled up to his chin when he realized that a game against Aoba Johsai also meant a game with Oikawa. More specifically, it meant a game with Wakatoshi shooting longing glances over the net _at_ Oikawa.

_Fuck._

. …………….

“You know, that guy Iwaizumi was with kinda looked like that Tendou guy from Shiratorizawa.”

The two men were strolling casually down the street a couple blocks away from where they had encountered their fellow third year when Hanamaki casually stated his observation. Matsukawa turned to look at Hanamaki who was currently licking cream off of his fingers as he devoured his bag of profiteroles. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly at the latter’s comment and tried to picture the face of Iwaizumi’s friend that they had only seen from a distance, “Did he?”

“Yeah,” Hanamaki commented offhandedly and picked out another pastry from the bag, grinning with delight as he popped it into his mouth, “And before Iwaizumi made him put on his beanie, it looked like he had red hair too.”

“I mean, you don’t think Iwaizumi would be hanging out with someone from a team that Oikawa openly hates, do you?” Matsukawa asked, coming to a stop as they approached a crosswalk to wait for the light to turn. Hanamaki paused next to him and looked deep in thought for a moment before simply shrugging.

“It would explain why Iwaizumi wouldn’t introduce him to us,” Hanamaki hummed and cast a knowing glance in Mastukawa’s direction, “Plus, we both know Iwaizumi has a bleeding heart. He would befriend anything that he thought needed help.”

“Man, if you’re right, that means next week’s practice match against Shiratorizawa is going to be even more of a shitshow,” Matsukawa sighed and slung an arm around Hanamaki’s shoulder as the sign on the other side of the street lit up, indicating it was now safe to cross. “Should we warn Oikawa to get his blood pressure checked before the game? I’m worried he might have a heart attack between facing Ushiwaka and learning about Iwaizumi’s new beau.”

“Nah, after everything he said to Iwa last week, I feel like maybe he deserves a little bit of a shock,” Hanamaki smirked, and Matsukawa snickered at the mischievous look in his partner’s eyes at the suggestion. “It’ll keep him honest; you know?”

“Well, here’s to waiting for the absolute clusterfuck of next week,” Matsukawa cheered and snagged a pastry from Hanamaki’s bag before popping it in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully as they continued their stroll down the street. The sweet taste of chocolate and cream covered his tongue, and the warmth from Hanamaki’s body was enough to keep the chill of the night air away. “Let’s hope our dear captain survives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being three days late with the update. This chapter had a lot of things that I wanted to set up, but I wasn't quite sure how to, so it took a little bit longer than expected to actually write it and execute it. I hope you guys enjoyed it!
> 
> Thank you once again to my lovely beta reader who has been catching a bunch of my grammar mistakes before I post and to all of you readers for your continued support of my story. I can't say enough how much every comment and kudos means to me. :) 
> 
> For everyone who celebrates Christmas, I hope that you have a wonderful holiday. For everyone who doesn't, I hope that you have a fantastic end to your week.  
> Stay safe, and I'll (hopefully) be back this Sunday with another chapter!


	8. Stolen Glances and Silent Taunts

For the entirety of the weekend, Tendou was practically vibrating in excitement.

Despite the rigorous nature of the weeklong practices, there was a hymn humming on his lips as he tapped out a joyful rhythm with his fingers on his thighs in any moment of rest. His teammates had taken notice. He could feel the suspicious and fondly exasperated gazes of said teammates levied his way. Most of the team had restrained themselves from voicing their suspicions, much to Tendou’s delight. Although, Yamagata’s continual innuendos about the cause of Tendou’s chipper mood had been the source of numerous withering reprimands from their captain, and Shirabu had murmured more than a couple snide queries about his enthusiasm before getting smacked by Taichi or chastised by Semi and Reon. Still, nothing could dampen Tendou’s spirits. The sheer fact that it was a countdown to the day until he and Iwaizumi would get to face off on opposite sides of the net made it impossible to be in a bad mood.

However, with each passing day, he felt his lips loosen a little bit more around the secret of the inevitable game.

Though he would never admit it aloud, his teammates had been right that he had a certain difficulty with keeping secrets. It had been so long since Tendou had actually been trusted with a piece of privileged information that he had forgotten how terrible he actually was at it. Already, he had barely managed to catch a few revealing comments that risked slipping passed his lips when he made a particularly good spike or block. Though, Tendou would swear that it wasn’t his fault. The anticipation for the match made him want to chatter excitedly to all who would listen about how he was going to put the entirety of Aoba Johsai into the ground, and his patience with secrecy was waning with time.

Thankfully, whatever deity was out there decided to spare Tendou from further suffering as the assistant coach called for a team meeting in the dwindling minutes of Thursday’s evening practice.

Sweating but still grinning widely at the impending news, Tendou jogged over to the quickly growing huddle of his teammates on the other side of the gym and looped his arms around the shoulders of Semi. In a voice too loud to be considered a whisper, Tendou leaned close to Semi’s ear and cooed, “So, Coach say anything yet?”

“No. Now, shut up and get off of me. You’re sweaty and disgusting,” Semi shushed with a wrinkle of his nose, but made no actual move to push Tendou off of him. The redhead took it as an invitation to continue his behavior and rested his head against Semi’s shoulder. 

“What do you think it’s about?”

“Don’t know.” Semi shrugged and let his cheek rest against the top of Tendou’s head in an act of casual intimacy, despite the stick of sweat clinging to his hair. “What’s got you feeling all touchy?”

“Just in a good mood,” Tendou hummed, leaning further into the touch to wait for the announcement of their practice match. He felt Semi make a face at the comment, but his teammate attempted no further probe into his actions

“You’ve seemed to be _just in a good mood_ for the whole week now,” a new voice snarled, and Tendou wrenched his head from its comfortable position to meet the stare of an annoyed looking Shirabu. His skin was covered in a similar sheen of sweat as Semi and Tendou, and his icy gaze sharply fixed on the spot where the redhead’s arms were still draped over the setter’s shoulders. “Would you kindly move away from my boyfriend?”

“But I was just getting comfortable,” Tendou pouted, but seeing Shirabu’s gaze harden at his words, he sighed and drawled, “As you wish, dear Shirabu.”

Tendou retracted his arms from around Semi, holding up pacifying hands at the bristling boy. Shirabu shouldered his way in between the two and locked his arms around his boyfriend in an uncharacteristic display of public affection. Still, the glare that he leveled at Tendou did not go unnoticed by the middle blocker. In the past, Shirabu had paid no mind to the physical affection Tendou lauded on Semi. Most of the time he would roll his eyes and even spare a fond snort of amusement at Tendou’s antics, but the most recent two weeks had seen the setter becoming more irritable in the presence of the man. Much to Tendou’s annoyance, this irritation had even begun to extend into Tendou’s relationship with Semi despite Semi’s best efforts to curb the behavior. While Tendou wasn’t sure what the cause of the newfound animosity was, he hoped that Shirabu resolved whatever internal issue he had decided to have before Tendou lost full access to his friend.

Semi looked ready to admonish his boyfriend for his immature behavior, but Tendou shook his head at him. He could handle Shirabu’s prickliness for now, even though it was beginning to grate on his nerves. He was about to turn his attention back to the assistant coach, who was intently reading something off of his clipboard, when a warm arm slid carefully around his shoulders.

Without looking up, Tendou knew who the arm belonged to.

To his left stood Wakatoshi, who had found Tendou in the small crowd and looped his strong arm around his shoulders as they waited for the coach to begin speaking. While the contact still had a flush climbing Tendou’s neck, two weeks of Wakatoshi’s constant attention had graced him with a certain level of familiarity with the physical affection. There was no longer the jumpy panic that he had felt the first week of the new behavior, and Tendou occasionally found himself reciprocating a similar level of physical affection. Though the increased contact was still doing deadly things to his heart, he reasoned that it was better to deal with his unrequited feelings internally and let Wakatoshi continue as he pleased than trying to stop the man and risk damaging their friendship.

Tendou leaned his head against the captain’s shoulder like he had done to Semi moments before and remarked in his head at how it felt distinctly less platonic than it had with his roommate.

“Whatcha think this meeting will be about, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“I don’t know,” Wakatoshi rumbled against Tendou’s side. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he observed their assistant coach motioning for the stranglers of the team to hurry and join the group. “Coach Washijo said that I should be prepared for an announcement at the end of practice but neglected to inform me any further than that.”

Tendou was about to ask Wakatoshi when Washijo had found time to pull him aside, when the chittering group of Shiratorizawa players was silenced by the raise of the assistant coach’s hand. With the attention of the players now centered on him, the older man adjusted his glasses before projecting his voice across the crowd.

“Coach Washijo wanted me to inform you that tomorrow evening instead of our regularly scheduled practice, Aoba Johsai will be coming here to Shiratorizawa for a practice match in preparation for the InterHigh tournament next month.” The assistant coach’s voice rang loud and clear in the gym’s silence, but the moment he paused for a breath, excited chatters began to ripple through the members of the team at the prospect. Despite defeating Seijoh just a few weeks prior, the opposing team still remained one of their greatest obstacles in reaching nationals. The thought of testing Shiratorizawa’s strength against such a formidable opponent so close to the actual tournament had everyone on the team buzzing with anticipation.

Tendou felt Waktoshi’s arm stiffen slightly at the announcement, though he refrained from actually looking up at his captain’s reaction. The excitement buzzing through Tendou’s body was strong and intoxicating, but he knew that it wouldn’t survive if he entertained thoughts of why Wakatoshi was looking forward to the game. His chipper mood made him feel alive and awake, and he had no interest in ruining it. Instead, he lifted his head from its position on Wakatoshi’s shoulder to physically distance himself from the thoughts and allowed a wide grin to overtake his face as he soaked in the hungry atmosphere surrounding him. However, his movement didn’t go unnoticed by Shirabu and Semi who were staring up at him with wide, curious eyes.

Turning his head to meet their gazes, he cocked an eyebrow and asked, “What? Are you guys not excited about being able to beat Seijoh again?”

“No, we’re excited,” Semi stated carefully in a tone that seemed to betray his words’ meaning. Shirabu was still clinging to his waist as he continued, “I’m just surprised that you’re reacting so calmly about this.”

Tendou blinked down at him, confused by the comment.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Semi paused and scrunched his nose as he thought for a moment as to how to phrase his next statement, “Most of the time when it’s announced that we’re facing off against Seijoh you’re as obnoxious as possible. Ohira and I normally have to rein you in so that Coach can finish talking. You’re just a lot more subdued than normal.” He paused and scrunched his nose again. “It’s kinda freaking me out to be honest.”

“Yeah, it’s weird,” Shirabu agreed with his boyfriend, finally withdrawing his arms from their grasp as he turned to inspect Tendou more closely. His tone of voice still sharp with aggression, “It’s almost like this isn’t new information to you or something.”

_Shit._

“I feel so flattered to be the subject of such close observation,” Tendou cooed, sidestepping the subtle accusation that was thrown at him. While he wasn’t necessarily a bad liar, Tendou wasn’t completely sure that any excuse he could concoct would survive the conjoined efforts of Semi and Shirabu’s scrutiny. Instead, he fixed his teasing gaze on the smaller setter. “And to think that I was almost positive Shirabu hated me now.”

Shirabu’s ears burned at the flippant accusation, but when he opened his mouth to protest, Tendou’s attention was snatched away by Wakatoshi suddenly tight grip on his shoulders. Tendou hazarded a glance up at their captain. He swallowed the nausea in his stomach upon seeing the raw elation burning in their captain’s eyes and tried, instead, to focus on the silent message the man was delivering. With a lone finger pressed against his lips, Wakatoshi nodded toward the assistant coach who was loudly clearing his throat.

He wasn’t done talking yet.

Once the rowdiness settled, the assistant coach continued on with his announcement. “The starting lineup will be the same one announced at the beginning of the season with Shirabu Kenjirou as our staring setter.” In his peripherals, Tendou saw Semi stiffen slightly at the pronouncement. Despite how much the third year attempted to be a supportive boyfriend and put his own jealousy aside, Tendou knew that the reminder of his lost position as starting setter still ached. The assistant coach went on, “If you’re not included in this line-up, please still show up at the regular practice time prepared to be subbed in at any point. While we would like to showcase our strength, the main objective of this game is to give newer members the opportunity to experience more court time.” His eyes fell on Goshiki who was standing in front of him. “If all goes well in the first two sets, some of you may get to see limited court time for a third set.” His eyes slid back up to the whole group as Goshiki’s ears burned under the attention. “Please get some rest and prepare tonight. Coach Washijo and I expect to see you at your best for tomorrow’s game. Thank you.”

The assistant coach dismissed them with the wave of his hand, and the chattering resumed at its previous level of volume. Excitement thrummed through the air, and Tendou could see a couple first years buzzing at the possible opportunity of seeing court time. Unless you were an exceptional player like Goshiki, it was rare to see real playing time before the spring tournaments.

“Wonder why Coach didn’t announce the game himself.” Yamagata had elbowed his way past a couple of chittering second years to where Tendou and others were standing. Taichi and Reon trailed behind him. A grin was stretching the corners of the libero’s mouth as he spoke, and a wild thrill lit up his eyes. “I would think that he’d want to lecture us before the actual game instead of sending the assistant coach to deliver the news.”

“The announcement was short notice too,” Reon commented as he moved to stand on the other side of Wakatoshi, who immediately looped his free arm around the shoulders of his fellow third year. Reon flashed a gentle smile at his roommate before continuing his line of thinking. “I wonder if the game was planned last minute or something.”

“It must’ve been,” Taichi chimed in and leaned his arm on the shoulder of Shirabu. Bristling, the younger setter tried to shove off his friend’s contact to no avail. “Washijo isn’t the kind of coach who likes to spring surprises on his team. I can’t think of another reason why he would wait.”

“Who knows, but since we’re going to see Seijoh,” Yamagata hummed and turned to Wakatoshi with a shit-eating grin that made Tendou’s hair suddenly stand on end. “Are you excited to face off against your dear Oikawa-kun tomorrow, Wakatoshi?”

“I am excited to face off against Oikawa once again,” Wakatoshi answered honestly, missing the teasing touch of the question. Tendou felt the nausea return to in his stomach as he heard the pleased timbre of Wakatoshi’s voice and the twitch of his excitement in his face. “Perhaps this time he will finally realize the truth of my statement that Shiratorizawa would be more fertile soil for his talents to be cultivated in.”

“You’re never going to lure Oikawa away from Seijoh if you keep offending him, Wakatoshi,” Semi snorted, and the rest of the team were biting at their lips to stop the smiles threatening to take over their faces. “Typically, people are charmed away by compliments, not insults.”

Wakatoshi’s eyebrows furrowed at Semi’s words. “I say it as a compliment of his skill. It’s not meant to be an insult. Seijoh is a capable school, but Shiratorizawa is by far superior. Oikawa would be more successful here than where he is currently.”

The comment made Yamagata start howling with laughter at the obliviousness of their captain, and Wakatoshi’s eyes grew wide in confusion at the situation, not understanding what he had said that would warrant such a reaction. Reon gave him a sympathetic pat on his back, and Semi watched on with amusement. The libero continued to poke fun at their captain with a few more teasing comments, which only seemed to further confuse the man, as he questioned why his comments about Oikawa were off-color if they were true. With the sick feeling growing in his stomach and his patience wearing thin, Tendou peeled Wakatoshi’s arm off of his shoulders to go find Goshiki who was still missing from their group. The larger man’s attention snapped to the redhead’s sudden absence as his arm fell to his side.

“Tendou, where are you going?”

“Sorry Toshi. I’m just gonna go find Tsutomu. I haven’t seen the kid since the announcement and I want to make sure he’s not freaking out or something,” Tendou remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand, turning away from the questioning look on Semi’s face. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Wakatoshi nodded, and Tendou pretended that he didn’t see the downturn of the captain’s lips as he took his exit, walking towards the locker room.

Most of the other members of the team had already left or begun to leave as Tendou had conversed with the other players of the starting team and Semi. The remaining members were still swept up in the wave of excitement as they exited through the door with their packed bags tucked under their arms, still chattering to one another. Peeking inside the locker room, Tendou saw Goshiki sitting on a nearby bench, still in his practice clothes with an unpacked bag at his feet. His face was darkened in a frustrated expression, and his hands were clasped firmly together as his gaze remained trained on his shoes, deep in thought. Tendou was suddenly very glad that he went to check on the boy as the sick jealousy from before was replaced with warm concern.

“You’re gonna end up with wrinkles if you keep making that face, Tsutomu.” Tendou crooned as he slid next to the first year and poked the space between his furrowed brows. Goshiki jumped at the sudden appearance of the older man. “We missed you at our impromptu team meeting. What’s got your face looking so troubled?”

“Ah sorry, Tendou-senpai! I didn’t see you come in,” Goshiki stuttered in surprise. His ears were rosy in embarrassment at his own lack of awareness, but Tendou was glad to see his face relax from its previously unsettled expression. “I was just thinking about the announcement.”

“Oh,” Tendou muttered and watched Goshiki twitch under his intense gaze, “So, you’re worried about not doing well in the game tomorrow?”

Goshiki let out a squawk of surprise and whipped his head towards his redheaded senior with wide, admiring eyes. “How did you know, Tendou-senpai?!”

“They don’t call the Guess Monster for nothing,” Tendou teased and placed a comforting arm over the boy’s broad shoulders. Goshiki was surprisingly large for his age. It was a fact that Tendou often forgot with the childlike admiration and petulance he often showcased during practice. The redhead smiled down at his junior. “Now, tell your dear senpai what’s going through that head of yours.”

Goshiki’s face flushed pink under the attention, and he looked back down at his shoes. His hands fidgeted nervously as he began to speak. “The reason we’re having a practice game against Aoba Johsai tomorrow is because I need more in game practice before our tournaments.” The troubled look in his eyes returned. “I’m not at a level to overpower the college teams we usually do practice games against, so Coach Washijo had to plan a special match with a team that I would actually stand a chance against. But, even during our last match facing them, I kept having to get subbed out because almost all my spikes were blocked.”

He balled his hands into fists, and his face crumbled in frustration. “I’m supposed to be the future ace of Shiratorizawa. In practice, I can hit every ball, and it goes where I want it to, but the moment I’m put into an actual game, nothing goes right. I never had that issue in middle school.” He looked up at Tendou, eyes shaded and vulnerable. “Tendou-senpai, how am I supposed to become the ace that surpasses Ushijima-san if I can’t show off my skill during actual gameplay?”

“Cut yourself some slack, Tsutomu,” Tendou chuckled and ruffled the boy’s hair fondly. “The reason we have practice matches before tournaments is so that you can gain experience before the actual matches. You’re still in your first year and learning how to be the ace of the team. You don’t need to carry us to victory by yourself.”

“But Ushijima-san does,” Goshiki protested. His hands gestured wildly as he continued on, “Every game he scores the more points than anyone on the team. How am I supposed to get him to even consider me worthy of respect if I can barely score _a_ point during actual games?” He pouted and leaned against Tendou’s shoulder. “How am I supposed to be the ace if I’m the stone weighing the team down?”

Tendou felt a burst of affection for the boy. “No one thinks you’re weighing us down, Tsutomu.”

“Maybe not the team, but Coach Washijo does,” Goshiki bit as he jerked his head up to look at Tendou again. “I can feel that he’s disappointed in my performance. That’s why he’s making us play this game in the first place because I’m the one falling behind the team.”

“Having high expectations is not the same thing as being disappointed,” Tendou mused affectionately at the stewing boy. “Coach Washijo knows that you’re a brilliant player that’s why he’s not afraid to push you to show that talent, and everyone on the team feels the same way about you.”

“But—”

“I wasn’t finished yet,” Tendou tutted, pressing a silencing finger against the younger boy’s protests. Goshiki stilled and waited somewhat impatiently for Tendou to continue. “You’re going to be a great ace in the future, but everyone is going to get game jitters the first couple times they play high stress games. For now, just focus on staying calm enough to showcase your skills on the court. Then we can focus on pushing your limits and becoming the greatest ace Miyagi has ever seen. You’ll become an ace even better than Wakatoshi-kun, I know it. Sound good, Tsutomu?”

Goshiki nodded vigorously, worries forgotten as he preened under the praise from the senior volleyball member. Logically, Tendou knew that the kid was only a couple years younger than him, but something about him made Tendou feel oddly protective over him. Maybe it was the boy’s blind ambition to be the ace or the unrelenting work ethic or even his oddly charming bowl cut, but Tendou wanted to watch him succeed.

Tendou leaned forward and ruffled the kid’s hair again. “You’re gonna great things. I just know it.”

In a moment of bravery, Goshiki leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Tendou in a quick hug. “Thank you, Tendou-senpai.”

“Anytime Tsutomu,” Tendou hummed. Pure affection for the boy flooded his chest as he gave a gentle squeeze back before Goshiki retreated from the embrace. “I know that the coaches want us to rest, but how about I’ll help you practice a couple hits to help prepare for the game tomorrow? I’m sure we could rope Semi into setting a couple balls for us.”

Goshiki perked up at the mention of practice. “Really Tendou-senpai?”

Tendou made a noise of confirmation and stood up, offering a hand up to Goshiki. “Let’s hurry up before they put away the net and go home.”

Goshiki took the extended hand, his fears replaced by eagerness as Tendou pulled the boy up from his seated position. The two exited the doors of the locker room together and greeted their group of friends who were still conversing on the gym room floor. Semi snorted as they announced they were going to continue practicing and needed a setter but otherwise moved to the setter’s position on the court without protest. The other members of the team did their cool down stretches and watched in amusement at the two seniors bickering as they directed their junior.

By the end of the night, Tendou fingers stung from exertion and his cheeks ached from smiling.

.…………….

After the additional practice with Goshiki and Semi, he had texted Iwaizumi the news that the game was officially announced to the members of Shiratorizawa. His friend responded with a flurry of messages of how he had spent all of practice perfecting his spike in order to break Tendou’s fingers tomorrow. The threat had Tendou grinning uncontrollably in anticipation, and he sent back his vow of not letting even one of Iwaizumi’s spikes land on their court. The blurry picture of Iwaizumi’s middle finger in response caused Tendou to wheeze, and he replied with a matching picture. Exhaustion from the week of rigorous practices finally claimed Tendou before he could see Iwaizumi’s answer. He slumped against his pillow, fully clothed and deep in sleep until Semi viciously shook him awake the next morning with sharp words that they were going to be late for classes.

The morning and afternoon activities of the next day passed by in a blur for Tendou.

He attended classes somewhere in between the time he was violently shaken awake and the time that he anxiously retied his shoes for the fourth time as he waited for Seijoh to arrive, but the actual content of said classes went in one ear and out the other. The teacher’s drones were drowned out by the steady hum of excitement in his ears. The countdown until he was able to play against Iwaizumi had changed from days to hours to minutes, and with each second ticking closer to the inevitable faceoff, his mind became more drugged with excitement.

“Tendou, stop twitching. You’re making me mess up my tosses,” Semi hissed from his position beside him, and Tendou had to bite his tongue to stop from making a snide comment in response.

While they waited for Seijoh to arrive, Washijo split the team across the two sides of the court and had them doing serving drills in preparation of the upcoming match. Tendou had hoped that, by being placed on the same side as Semi and Yamagata and away from Wakatoshi, he might be able to actually focus on their warmup. Afterall, Semi was strict with Yamagata every time the man tried to slack off on serving drills with the excuse that liberos would never actually serve in a game. However, even with the impending threat of Semi’s wrath and thoughts of Wakatoshi and Oikawa pushed to the dark recesses of his mind, Tendou seemed to have trouble staying focused. The time that had previously flowed like a babbling brook throughout the day had thickened to the consistency of honey, and Tendou’s patience was waning with every slow second that he was forced to spend warming up instead of facing off against Iwaizumi. The anticipation thrumming inside of him was physically manifesting in unwelcome toe tapping and finger fidgeting, and he tried unsuccessfully to restrain himself from glancing at the door at any spare moment.

Semi had grudgingly taken notice.

“Sorry, Semisemi,” Tendou crooned as he stopped his excessive foot movements for a moment and sent his own ball up with a clean toss before slamming the width of his palm in full force. The ball soared through the air with a perfect spin but less force than he intended as it barely managed to fly over the net before losing momentum and hitting the smooth court floors. Serving drills and warmups were not a satisfying distraction, and Tendou’s impatience was going to be turned on Semi full force if Seijoh didn’t arrive soon.

Picking up another ball, he went to repeat the same movement, tossing the ball up in a clean vertical line. Tendou tensed his legs in the anticipation of a jump serve but as his feet left the ground with his eyes fixated on the ball, the door of the gymnasium slammed open and a silence enveloped the entirety of gymnasium as everyone stopped their activities to observe their visitors.

In his distracted state, Tendou’s attention immediately snapped to the new arrivals, forgetting about his position in the air. The silence of the gym was shattered by the thud of Tendou’s body smashing into the floor followed by a grunt of pain as the airborne volleyball plummeted directly onto his head.

Semi did nothing to hide his snicker of amusement at Tendou’s misfortune, and the redhead sent a scathing glare his roommate’s way before looking up at the new arrivals. Their coach was leading the way with the rest of the uniformed Aoba Johsai following at his heels before he split off from his team to speak with Shiratorizawa’s coaches. Tendou’s eyes searched the group until he found the target of his interest. Iwaizumi was walking next to Hanamaki and Matsukawa near the rear of the group, hands shoved into his jacket pockets and a bored expression gracing his face as he listened to his chattering teammates. He stopped a few steps away from where Shiratorizawa was practicing and turned his head slightly. His eyes drifted down to Tendou’s position sprawled across the floor. His eyebrow quirked up in amusement at his friend and met his gaze with a condescending smirk teasing at the corners of his lips.

There was an unspoken taunt: _I thought you said you were going to beat me today._

Tendou rocketed up from his crumpled position. His heart was already hammering in anticipation. His tongue darted across his lips as a feral grin tore across his face. Making a show of leaning over to Semi and stage whispering, Tendou crooned in voice loud enough for the members of Seijoh to hear, “Oho, looks like Seijoh has shown up to get their asses kicked again.”

“Tough talk for someone who just ate shit trying to do a serve.” Iwaizumi’s bored expression had been replaced with one of unhinged confidence as his voice rang across the gym. Tendou took a step closer to the shorter man. His blood was roaring in his ears as exhilaration pumped through his veins. However, before he could hazard a reply, Iwaizumi was steered away by Matsukawa to begin warmup stretches with the rest of the team. Hanamaki trailed after them at a slower pace but turned to Tendou for only a moment to raise his hand slightly in greeting. A knowing expression was plastered on his face.

Tendou blinked in surprise at the brief acknowledgement.

_Did Hajime tell them about me?_

“Good job Tendou. The game hasn’t even started yet, and you’ve managed to get their ace all fired up,” Yamagata howled as he strutted over and heartily slapped Tendou’s back. There was a wicked smile pulling at his lips. “We’ll get a good match out of them after all.”

“Yeah, normally it’s Oikawa that you manage to piss off first,” Semi contemplated casually, but his eyes were ladened with suspicion as he observed Tendou. “I’m surprised Iwaizumi even took the time to respond to you.”

“Maybe Aoba Johsai is just as fired up about us about this match,” Tendou mused offhandedly, but at the mention of Oikawa, his eyes involuntarily darted to Wakatoshi. His excitement at seeing Iwaizumi had been keeping the thoughts of Wakatoshi’s not-so-secret infatuation at bay, but his heart sunk seeing his captain’s eyes fixated on the opposing setter. The sheer intensity of Wakatoshi’s stare caused the reality of the situation to come crashing through his chest, and the monstrous jealousy he had buried reared its ugly head. Swallowing the rising bile in his throat, Tendou tore his gaze away from their captain and returned it to Semi. His voice not as enthusiastic as before as he finished, “Including Iwaizumi.”

Semi’s nose scrunched in irritation but let the topic go as Washijo called all members to cease their drills and gather up for a team meeting. After jogging with Semi and Yamagata to the opposing side of the court, Tendou resisted the urge to scowl, as he stole another quick glance at Wakatoshi whose eyes were still enthralled by the other setter. Shifting slightly to the right, Tendou purposefully obstructed the view between Wakatoshi and Seijoh. It was a petty, inconsequential move on his part, but it ever so slightly soothed the blaze of jealousy in his chest as Tendou stood patiently and listened for the next ten minutes to Washijo prattled on about their strategy for the game. Regardless of the results of the first two sets, there was an agreement reached between the coaches to play a third set for the benefit of all their players. As Washijo began to give instructions directed at the younger members who would be warming the bench until he decided otherwise, Tendou couldn’t help but shoot a careful glance over the net to where the opposing team were in the middle of their warmup drills. Iwaizumi caught his eye as he slammed his palm into the ball that had been set in the air for him. There was a sinister smirk on his face as he gestured to the ball and mouthed: _Your head_.

Tendou shivered at the threat, confirming his earlier suspicion that Iwaizumi was indeed a sadist. His fists clenched against his side, and his teeth chewed at his lower lip. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was almost too much for him to remain stationary.

_I’m not gonna let him get a single ball to touch the floor. It’s gonna piss him of so much. He’s gonna wanna hit me so bad. I’m gonna—_

“Tendou, what are you looking at? Focus on what Coach is saying,” Semi hissed with a firm jerk on Tendou’s wrist, tugging his attention back to the team meeting where Washijo was giving final remarks. Tendou numbly hoped that he hadn’t missed anything important in his moment of distraction and gave a sheepish smile to Semi. The setter just rolled his eyes in response and shoved one of the practice jerseys that had been handed to them into Tendou’s hands as he went to pull on his own.

With Seijoh finished with their warmups and currently cleaning up the rouge balls from the corner of the gymnasium, Shiratorizawa began to move onto their proper positions on the court, placing their water bottles on the sidelines and lining up along the net to do the introductory shaking of hands with the opposing team. Tendou brightened as he spotted his captain already standing ready in his practice jersey for the introductions. Feeling the sudden urge to monopolize Wakatoshi’s attention while he was still able to, Tendou saddled up beside the taller man at the net.

“How was your warmup, Toshi? I barely got to see you since we were on opposite sides of the court. I’ve missed you,” Tendou mused, knocking their shoulders together. Seeing Wakatoshi perk up at his sudden presence with a gentle smile gracing his lips, sent a warm rush of affection through him. “Are you feeling ready for this game?”

“I was disappointed we were separated for warmups. I have missed your presence too, Tendou.” Wakatoshi spoke with a gentle fondness that made Tendou’s heart break into a frenzy. “But I feel that I warmed up adequately to play at my best. As for the game,” His eyes slid over to the approaching captain of Seijoh who had a cocky grin already plastered across his face. Tendou felt as sudden coldness creep into his chest as he noticed the heated intensity in the gaze. An intensity Tendou never saw reflected in his captain’s when he gazed at him, “I feel that this game will be very interesting.”

“Ushiwaka, how pleasant to see you again,” Oikawa drawled in a saccharine tone as he made his approach on the other side of the net. The other Seijoh third years trailing closely behind him, as he turned his disdainful gaze to meet Wakatoshi’s heated one. “I hope you don’t think that we’re going to just let you win because we’re on your home turf for once.”

“I would never expect that Oikawa,” Ushijima rumbled. Their eyes locked in a battle of wills that seemed to ignore the presence of everyone else around them. The coldness in Tendou’s chest squeezed around his heart. “Your intent for victory should remain consistent no matter where the game is played.”

“I’m glad you’re aware of my intention to walk out of this gymnasium the victor, Ushiwaka,” Oikawa purred, batting his eyes in a coquettish manner. Jealousy was clawing at Tendou’s insides. Every instinct was screaming at him to rip Ushijima away from their heated exchange and hide him somewhere far away from Oikawa’s magnetic pull. Anything to stop him from looking at Oikawa like that. “Because I don’t intend on losing to you or any of your team.”

Iwaizumi, as if sensing Tendou’s whirling thoughts, smacked Oikawa upside the head.

“Stop being shitty and greet your opponents like a normal fucking captain, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi barked. His eyes darted to Tendou for a moment to check if the man was okay before extended his hand underneath the net towards the redhead. It was open, prepared for a handshake that would allow the game to begin. “Sorry about our shitty captain. We’re looking forward to the game,” The corners of his lips quirked up slightly, “Tendou.”

Oikawa wrinkled his nose in displeasure at the scolding, but Tendou swore he saw a flash of sadness in the setter’s eyes before it was gone. The opposing captain begrudgingly extended his hand towards Ushijima, and the rest of Seijoh followed suit as both teams finished lining up on either side of the net.

Tendou took Iwaizumi’s warm hand in his own cold one, curling his long fingers around the bottom of the other man’s palm. The feral grin returned to his face, and he met Iwaizumi’s intense gaze with half-lidded eyes. “Oh, it’s my pleasure to play against you, Iwaizumi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT I AM SO LATE WITH THIS CHAPTER I AM SOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY.
> 
> This chapter was a PAIN to write since I wanted to set up a couple things before actually getting into the game but couldn't figure out how exactly to make them come to be. I was so frustrated, and this chapter took me six consistent days of work to write because I kept deleting and rewriting what I had. It was a,,, mess. As a warning, the next chapter might take me two weeks to write,,, but it will be a couple thousand words longer than normal :)
> 
> A HUGE thank you to my beta reader. She, the beautiful human being she is, took time to edit and help me smooth out this chapter DESPITE being out of town and away from her computer. I would not be able to do this fic without her,,,, I love her so much.
> 
> AND a GIANT thank you to all of YOU! This chapter is like four days late, and I thank you all for your patience and your continued support of this fic. You're all so kind,,, and I will respond to your comments from last chapter tomorrow after the New Year because I can't describe how unbelievably happy I felt reading them. Ngl, some of them were so sweet I almost cried. 
> 
> I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and I'll see you in 2021!!!!!


	9. The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: Oikawa Almost Goes Feral

It was little more than halfway through the first set, and Tendou’s hands were already aching. He had so far managed to stay true to his word, as every one of Iwaizumi’s spikes had glanced off of his fingers even when the power of said spikes left Tendou cursing under his breath and shaking out his hands to relieve the sting. Much to Tendou’s delight, Iwaizumi’s annoyance was growing progressively with each one of his blocked hits, but the ace still shot his redheaded friend a wicked snarl with an obvious message: _Before the end of this game, I’m gonna break your fucking fingers._

It stirred up a sort of sadistic excitement in him that Iwaizumi was already so riled up without much verbal prodding on Tendou’s part. Typically, when Shiratorizawa was facing Seijoh, the game was already trudging into its second quarter when Iwaizumi started sending glares and curses his way. Their connection outside of volleyball had apparently exacerbated their already existing rivalry on the court.

And Tendou was going to use it to his advantage as much as he possibly could.

“Iwaizumi, you know that the balls are supposed to land on the _other_ side of the court, right?” Tendou crooned, as he jumped in time with a borderline feral-looking Iwaizumi. The shorter man’s spike ricocheted off his fingers to the corner of Aoba Johsai’s side. If he was within Iwaizumi reach, Tendou was sure that he would’ve had a kick aimed at his knees by now. A flash of blue darted across the court as the other team’s libero dug the falling ball, and the redhead turned a sickeningly sweet smile Iwaizumi’s way. “Better luck next time.”

Iwaizumi’s glare grew dark in response, as he backpedaled a few steps and called for the ball, “Oikawa! One more time!”

Oikawa, who had been readying to send the set in Hanamaki's direction, snapped his attention to Iwaizumi, and his hands quickly adjusted to send the ball in an arc towards his best friend. The ace was immediately in the air with his arm loaded on a spring trigger for a spike when the spinning ball reached his open palm. Tendou’s hands were already in position over the net, ready to intercept the powerful attack. His grin was so wide that it was almost hurting his cheeks as Iwaizumi made contact. The ball was practically rippling from the power behind the hit as it hurtled towards Tendou’s waiting block.

However, much to Tendou’s surprise, his block did nothing to alter the ball’s trajectory. Instead, it tore through his tensed hands and sent Tendou hurtling backward from the excessive force. As he made a desperate effort to recover his balance, Tendou heard Reon shout for Shirabu as he received the ball, but his attention was fixated on the smug expression on Iwaizumi’s face.

“You were saying?” Iwaizumi grinned. Pride was practically pouring off him in waves, and the gloating self-satisfaction in his eyes as he looked up at Tendou had the redhead suddenly considering homicide. “Maybe you should focus on your own gameplay before commenting on mine. You might be able to block more balls that way.”

Tendou’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards the net, purring in a lower pitch, “I hardly think you sneaking one ball past me is enough for you to be talking that much shit, Iwaizumi. Everyone is allowed one mistake.”

“That won’t be your only mistake,” Iwaizumi grinned, leaning closer so that he and Tendou were only separated by the net. His gaze fixated on Tendou with an intensity that created a craving for victory deep in Tendou’s bones. “We’re just getting started.”

“TENDOU, GET YOUR FUCKING HEAD IN THE GAME.”

Tendou was broken from his stupor by the infuriated yell of his setter and tore his gaze away from Iwaizumi in time to see a clean set go up to Goshiki who proceeded to slam the ball into the opposing court. There was a scramble on the other side to save the ball, but their libero’s attempt sent it spiraling out of bounds. The whistle blew, awarding Shiratorizawa the point. Tendou traipsed over to the preening first year who was already being patted vigorously on the back by an energetic Yamagata and ruffled his hair.

“Nice kill, Tsutomu,” Tendou cooed, and Goshiki’s ears burned under the praise, “See? I knew you could do it. You just needed to calm down a little bit, and your skills would do the rest.”

Goshiki flashed him a brilliant smile and was about to respond when he was roughly shoved out of Tendou’s grasp by a fuming Shirabu. He let out a squawk of protest, but there was no gratitude or joy concerning the point the first year had just scored in Shirabu’s expression. The setter was on a warpath, ready to steamroll anything in his path.

“What the fuck was that Tendou?” Shirabu bit, jabbing his finger into Tendou’s chest. Steam was pouring out of his ears as he regarded the middle blocker.

“What was what?” Tendou stated dumbly, trying to inch closer back to Goshiki. “Little Tsutomu got his first hit of the game passed the blockers. Shouldn’t you be celebrating? You guys are in sync finally.”

“Goshiki isn’t some incapable little boy. Of course, he can hit a spike _I_ set for him. All he needed was to get over his stupid nerves,” Shirabu hissed, “And I’m not talking about us.” He gestured between himself and the pouting first-year before jabbing his finger back into Tendou’s chest. “I’m talking about _you_ being too busy _flirting_ with Iwaizumi to pay attention to the goddamn _game_.”

Tendou snorted, annoyed with this sudden temper tantrum, and considered Shirabu with bored eyes. “I don’t know what you’re doing with Eita, but most people don’t consider that flirting. It’s teasing, _banter_. You know, the kind that riles up the opposing team?”

“You say opposing team, but your attention seems to be _oddly_ focused on Iwaizumi,” the setter growled. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his mouth twitched with irritation as he held Tendou’s gaze. “Well? Have anything to say for yourself?”

“Tendou does need to focus more on the game, but that has to do more with his small attention span than Iwaizumi. If anything, Iwaizumi offers a good enough challenge to keep Tendou engaged. His last spike was on par with some of Wakatoshi’s more powerful ones,” Reon interrupted as he and Wakatoshi walked over to congratulate Goshiki. Placing a steady hand on Shirabu, Reon gave the younger man a warning glance, and the setter deflated slightly under the elder’s stern eyes. Turning to Goshiki, Reon continued, “That was a good hit, Tsutomu. Keep that up, and the title of ace is yours for sure next year.”

Wakatoshi had found his way to Tendou’s side, brushing his knuckles against the middle blocker’s as a sign of greeting before regarding his eager junior. He gave Goshiki a nod of acknowledgement and reached out to ruffle his hair, similar to what Tendou had done moments earlier, “That was a clean spike.”

“I’ll hit more spikes to make you proud, Ushijima-san and Reon-senpai.” The way his back straightened as his chest puffed out in pride at the declaration indicated that he was preening under the attention, despite his reddened cheeks. Tendou chuckled and couldn’t help but to leaned over to run his fingers through the boy’s hair one more time.

“C’mon Goshiki. I’ll even give your super cool haircut a lucky rub every time you hit one.”

With an indignant squawk from Goshiki that he was going to ruin his hair, Tendou backed off and moved to return to his spot when Wakatoshi’s large hand grasped his wrist. Turning his attention to his captain, Tendou cooed, “What’s up, Toshi?”

“I hit many excellent shots during that volley,” Wakatoshi explained, glancing expectantly at Tendou’s free hand. Tendou blinked slowly as he tried to process his captain’s words before a flush crept up his neck at the realization of what Wakatoshi wanted. 

Raising his free hand up to Wakatoshi’s head, Tendou’s fingers threaded through the man’s thick, dark hair and murmured a quiet, “Good job, Wakatoshi-kun.”

Wakatoshi hummed with contentment under Tendou’s praise. Even with Aoba Johsai observing them, Wakatoshi felt no shame as his pleased eyes stared down at Tendou, and he leaned into the touch. It almost felt too intimate to be doing in front of others, which only fueled Tendou’s flush.

_Hajime is going to give me so much shit for this._

“Oi lovebirds! You still have a game to play. Hurry up so we can start," Yamagata called from his spot on the court. The laughter was clear in his eyes. Tendou felt his neck burn hotter as he snatched his hand away and turned from Wakatoshi. Finding his position next to the net, Tendou readied for Reon's next serve and tried to ignore the butterflies in his churning stomach. 

Iwaizumi’s eyes found Tendou’s from his position from across the net. Though the opposing ace didn’t utter a word about the interaction he had just witnessed, the knowing quirk of his lips and the raise of his eyebrows conveyed his message all the same. Tendou’s skin burned in embarrassment.

“Don’t say a thing, Hajime,” Tendou hissed in a voice low enough for only Iwaizumi to hear, leaning closer to the net in what he hoped was a threatening manner. 

“What? I didn’t say anything,” Iwaizumi grinned and responded in an equally low voice. Tendou’s homicidal feeling from earlier returned for an entirely new reason.

Tendou narrowed his eyes. "I know what you're thinking, and you’re wrong."

"Oh, please enlighten me on what I'm thinking," Iwaizumi drawled, taking a step closer to the net, "I’m very interested in your explanation.”

"Iwa-chan, get in position. They're about to serve," Oikawa called impatiently from his spot on the other side of Iwaizumi, and Tendou swore he saw the setter’s eyes dart between them before refocusing on the game. The ace took a step back from Tendou to prepare for the incoming serve without protest, though he shot a quick look at the redhead that promised that the conversation wasn't finished yet.

With Iwaizumi’s focus back on the game, Tendou stole a quick glance at Wakatoshi as he heard the referee blow the whistle. Much to his dismay but not to his surprise, his captain’s eyes were already fixated back on Oikawa, and the butterflies dropped dead to the floor of his stomach. It was hard to compete for Wakatoshi’s attention with someone like that.

Tendou sighed and brought his arms up to guard his head, as Reon tossed the ball into the air.

The serve from Reon was hard and fast, sending the libero of the opposing team into a low squat as he popped the ball in Oikawa's direction. The setter was under the receive in a moment and set it up so smoothly and effortlessly that it pissed Tendou off. It was almost like Oikawa's hands had been made for setting with the way he manipulated the trajectory of the ball with the ease of a knife through warm butter. Tendou grudgingly admitted he couldn't really blame Wakatoshi for his obsession with Oikawa; a man with looks and talent was hard to beat, even if his personality was a steaming pile of shit. 

As soon as the ball left Oikawa’s long fingers, there was a call for Hanamaki, and the pink-haired man leapt up, smashing the ball in Goshiki’s direction. The first year lunged to the right with outstretched arms and sent the ball spiraling to Shirabu who in turn sent it up in Wakatoshi’s direction. The tendons in the man’s legs tensed right before he surged upwards, and Tendou could feel the breath being stolen from his lungs as he watched his captain’s arm tear through the air and blast the ball into their opponents. The focus and intensity in Wakatoshi’s eyes made Tendou’s mouth grow dry. There was a rallying cry on the other side, and Tendou’s eyes shot over where a dark-haired first year that he didn’t recognize barely managed to dig the powerful hit. With a grunt of effort, the kid called to Oikawa to retrieve the ball which was rocketing towards the sideline. In a flash, the setter was under the ball. His fingertips had barely grazed the surface of the ball when he called out his target’s name.

“Iwa-chan!”

There was no hesitation in Iwaizumi’s movements, as he once again sprung into the air with an arm readied to receive. Tendou grinned and jumped to meet him in a battle of wills. Iwaizumi’s eyes met Tendou’s and then darted to Yamagata who was already tensed in anticipation of the ace’s attack as his shoulders shifted their angle.

A sick smile curled at the corners of Tendou’s lips at the action.

_My, my Hajime. You shouldn’t be that obvious._

Excitement was pumping through Tendou’s veins as he swung his hands to obstruct Iwaizumi’s supposed path with outstretched fingers. However, as Iwaizumi’s palm tore through the air to make contact with the spiraling ball, the opposing ace suddenly veered off course at the last second and sent the set careening in Goshiki’s direction instead. The attack whistled past Tendou’s block, and he heard a grunt from the first year behind him as he received the ball at full force. The pass went spiraling into the net next to Shirabu’s head and promptly dropped to the ground.

The whistle blew, and the referee gestured to Seijoh’s side, awarding them the point, and the team erupted into cheers.

“You looked at Yamagata on purpose,” Tendou hissed in disbelief as he clutched the open holes of the net. His eyes transfixed on the obviously smug Iwaizumi, but the venom in his words did nothing to lessen the arrogant joy of the latter’s grin. “You knew I would move my block. You baited me.”

Iwaizumi took a step forward with haughty eyes and his smug smirk, and flicked Tendou’s forehead through the net. “Maybe the Guess Monster shouldn’t be so obvious when blocking.” He took a step back and fixed his condescending gaze on Tendou, bringing a thoughtful hand to his chin. “What’s that? Two in a row for me now?”

“I forgot how _annoying_ you were to play against, Iwaizumi,” Tendou spat, as his grip on the net tightened slightly. “I guess I need to knock you down a few more pegs and remind you why I got that nickname.”

“I’m shaking in my boots, _Tendou_ ,” Iwaizumi rumbled, clearly not shaking in his boots.

Tendou was readying to spit out the response burning his tongue when Hanamaki draped his arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulders and moved to pull him towards the rest of the celebrating Seijoh. “Oi, Iwaizumi, you know you’re supposed to celebrate a point with your team and not the enemy, right?” The pink haired man tugged Iwaizumi away and tossed a smirk over his shoulder at Tendou. “If you need his attention that bad, get it after the game, Tendou.”

Tendou’s ears flushed slightly from the unspoken insinuation in the man’s voice and tried to ignore the creeping realization that, whether or not Iwaizumi had told them, some people on this court were _definitely_ aware that their relationship was not limited to volleyball.

“Not focused on Iwaizumi, my ass,” Shirabu huffed under his breath from his position next to Tendou, and the redhead lazily shifted his gaze to meet the glaring eyes of his setter.

“What’s your fixation on Iwaizumi, Shirabu?” Tendou cooed. Shirabu’s notoriously bad mood had somehow worsened in the recent weeks, and it was beginning to grate on Tendou’s nerves. Dealing with Shirabu’s regular prickliness was exhausting enough without it also being levied at someone who Tendou genuinely cared about. He had no idea what he was going to do if Iwaizumi actually wanted to do proper introductions after the game. Shirabu might go rabid. “Do you have a little crush on him or something? I don’t think Eita will be very happy to hear that, being your boyfriend and all.”

The setter’s face turned an unhealthy shade of puce as he pointed an accusatory finger, “I’m not the one who has a little crush on him! You’re the one who’s slee—”

“Kenjirou,” Semi’s voice rang out from the sidelines. His voice was tight and stern, and his eyes were steely as he regarded his boyfriend. “Not the time or the place for this conversation.”

Shirabu snapped his mouth shut and turned his head sharply away from Tendou. His body was still tense with irritation, and the frustrated flush still colored his skin. There was an urge inside the redhead to push Shirabu to admit what exactly he was going to say Tendou was doing with Iwaizumi, but the fixed gaze of Semi on his back said that plan wouldn’t pan out well. Still, it felt like Shirabu knew something that Semi and Reon had both been stopping him from confronting Tendou about; knew something that had been causing his temper to flare for the entirety of the match.

A pit formed in Tendou’s stomach at the possibility, but he tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He had been incredibly careful to avoid mentioning Iwaizumi’s name or school around his teammates. There would be no way that Shirabu would know anything outside of volleyball had occurred between the two of them.

In an attempt to distract himself from his own anxious thoughts, Tendou shifted his attention to the still celebrating Seijoh. The rivalry was intense between the two schools, and both teams savored every point that was awarded with proud yells and excited chatter. Tendou was just surprised that the coaches turned a blind eye to the lengthy delays in favor of keeping the momentum going.

Iwaizumi’s face was plastered with a wide grin, and both Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s arms were looped around his shoulders as the team chorused their praises of his power and skill. The warm display of friendship made a smile tickle at Tendou’s lips, despite the fire inside yearning to annihilate the man. It was nice to see Iwaizumi surrounded by the support of his teammates after everything that had occurred with Oikawa in the recent weeks. There had been a lingering sadness that colored Iwaizumi’s tone, even though he had made his best efforts to disguise it with funny anecdotes over the phone.

Speaking of Oikawa, Tendou’s eyes shifted to the where the setter was standing beside his two juniors, noticeably absent from the group hug as he vehemently contended that his set played a major part in Iwaizumi’s success. He was as flamboyant and arrogant as he normally was with his mocking voice and drawling eyes. Honestly, if Tendou hadn’t heard first-hand that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were fighting, he wouldn’t believe it. Their synchronicity on the court was still as obnoxious as ever. Oikawa never faltered when setting a ball Iwaizumi’s way, and Iwaizumi never hesitated to call for a ball when the opportunity arose. In strictly volleyball terms, they were as in tune with each other more than anyone else.

But, Tendou noticed the waver of Oikawa’s hand when he reached to congratulate his best friend and the way Iwaizumi would pointedly look everywhere except at Oikawa when a play resulted in a point. There was an uncomfortable distance between the two that only a trained eye would see.

As if sensing his thoughts, Oikawa’s eyes raised to meet his own and immediately darkened. The corners of his lips curled downwards in disgust as he regarded Tendou and inched a step closer to Iwaizumi, looking like he wanted to bare his teeth at the redhead for even daring to look their way.

Tendou resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the setter’s show of aggression.

_What’s his problem all of the sudden? Normally, he’s too wrapped up in Wakatoshi to even notice me._

The teams both dispersed to their respective positions after a few more moments of chatter, and tension enveloped the court as the ball was passed to Iwaizumi to serve. The man did a few experimental dribbles on the ball before tossing it up and throwing a wicked smile Tendou’s way. Leaping into the air, Iwaizumi’s palm struck the ball, and it went crashing towards the waiting Goshiki. Tendou was already airborne with his arm at the ready when Shirabu’s fingers pushed Goshiki’s pass in his direction. The redhead couldn’t help but grin roguishly as Hanamaki moved to block the incoming spike. Tendou’s attack glanced off of Hanamaki’s fingers and rocketed towards an awaiting Iwaizumi who easily popped it up to his setter.

“Dear Iwaizumi, even though you’re far away now, don’t think I’ll be letting any of your spikes get through,” Tendou crooned in an all too loud and sweet voice, relishing in the way Iwaizumi’s gaze darkened. Hanamaki let out a snort of an amusement that only served to fuel Tendou’s behavior as the redhead batted his eyes in the ace’s direction. “I won’t stop you from trying though. It gets me all excited to see you try.”

Matsukawa’s responding spike was dug by Reon and set up by Shirabu to Wakatoshi whose spike whizzed across the court back to Iwaizumi. The man grunted as the ball barreled into his outstretched arms, but the ball still went up in a clean arc to his setter, and Tendou couldn’t help but hum appreciatively. Wakatoshi’s cannonlike spikes were nowhere near easy for even the most trained libero. The fact that Iwaizumi had already managed to successfully receive a handful of them was a testament to the volleyball player’s skill.

“If only your spikes were half as good as your receives this game, maybe Aoba Johsai would be winning this match, Iwaizumi,” Tendou called and clicked his tongue, “It’s a shame really.”

“There you go talking shit again, Tendou,” Iwaizumi growled and sprinted into the air as Oikawa set the ball back his way, “But where’s the action to back it up?”

Iwaizumi’s hand slammed into the ball, and, again, Tendou felt his fingers fly back from the power behind it. The middle blocker felt his face scrunch with displeasure at the wild grin playing on the opposing ace’s face.

_Maybe I did a little too good of a job riling Hajime up._

“One touch!” Tendou shouted over his shoulder, and Yamagata dove forward. His hands were barely able to connect, and the ball was sent hurtling over the net in a high arc.

“Shit.”

The Seijoh’s libero quickly backpedaled to line himself up with the ball. His eyes were fixated where the ball made contact with his arms and called out, “Chance Ball!”

Oikawa saddled up to the side of the net, and his long, pretty fingers reached into the air, prepared to receive the pass. His eyes shifted to Iwaizumi’s side of the court, and Tendou’s legs tensed as he prepared to block whichever spiker that Oikawa was aiming for. However, at the last moment, the setter’s slim hand tipped the ball just over the top of the net. The redhead’s arm darted out to try to rescue the setter’s dump, but only succeeded in shanking it out of bounds.

With the thud of the ball and the resounding whistle from the referee, Oikawa turned his haughty gaze to Tendou. Faux concern tickled at his lips as they savored his next words, “Ten-chan, you should really leave Iwa-chan alone and get your head in the game. I can’t believe you let that get past you.” He batted his eyes. “What does your poor Wakatoshi-kun think about his little monster’s poor performance?”

Hot irritation spiked in Tendou’s chest at the mention of Wakatoshi. The nickname sounded so wrong spilling out of the setter’s lips like a shrill note in an otherwise harmonious symphony. It made his fingers itch to scrub the name from Oikawa’s mouth. Involuntarily, Tendou’s eyes slid over to where his captain was watching their exchange from the other side of the court. A pit opened in his stomach at the realization that even now Ushijima’s gaze and furrowed brows were fixated on Oikawa.

Tendou forced a mask to smooth over his features and turned his attention back to the man who was quickly becoming the greatest pain in his ass. Tendou’s voice was soft and sultry, as he purred, “Mr. Pretty Boy, are you jealous that your dear little Iwa-chan is paying me so much attention instead of you? He’s not normally my type, but he is quite a lot of fun to rile up.”

It had been meant mostly as a taunt, a low blow about Iwaizumi’s distance from him. However, the possessive flash in Oikawa’s eyes and the aggressive snarl of his lips as he jerked forward almost made Tendou step back in surprise. The setter’s voice was low and dangerous as he hissed, “Leave Hajime alone.”

It was dark and possessive, like an animal protecting its territory.

_Holy shit, he actually is jealous._

A sweet, sweet giddiness made Tendou’s lips curl up into a wicked little smile. It was almost too easy. The opportunity was dangling in front of him, just waiting to be snapped up by hungry jaws. All of those moments where he was forced to suffocate on his jealousy as Oikawa taunted and teased Ushijima from across the net could finally be repaid. All those practices where Iwaizumi suffered silently watching Oikawa make eyes at a new girl could finally be returned. All those hateful words that Oikawa had slung Iwaizumi’s way the previous week could finally be reflected back onto him. Oikawa would be the one with jealousy gouging a hole in his chest.

A disgustingly reasonable part of him that sounded suspiciously like Semi warned him that Iwaizumi probably wouldn’t approve of it. No matter the chasm between him and his best friend, Iwaizumi would never want to hurt Oikawa; he cared too much for Oikawa to ever want to hurt him. Tendou hurling words and insults with the sole intent of tearing a hole in Oikawa’s chest would make Iwaizumi turn questioning eyes on the redhead, and he didn’t want that. He didn’t want Iwaizumi’s disapproval to be turned towards him.

But, Tendou was selfish at his core, selfish and cruel. The opportunity was too tempting to let fall through his grasp, even if Iwaizumi wouldn’t be pleased.

_I’m sorry in advance, Hajime._

“You know, originally I thought I was paying Iwaizumi a little too much attention,” Tendou hummed, watching with delight as Oikawa’s body tensed at the mention of Iwaizumi’s name, “but now I think maybe I wasn’t paying him enough attention.” Tendou leaned in close so his and Oikawa’s noses were almost touching through the net. The setter’s eyes were scorching as they met Tendou’s heavy lidded ones. “Hey Oikawa, do you think if I get him riled up enough Iwaizumi will want to work out his frustrations with me after the game?”

With that, Tendou took a step back to survey the damage that he had created. The tendons in Oikawa’s neck strained against his skin as his jaw clenched hard enough to shatter his teeth. His gaze was dark and dangerous for a moment before he regained his composure and schooled his face into a careful neutral expression. The words that left his lips were dripping with sweetness. “Oh Ten-chan, I always forget how unbearable you are. You’re almost as bad as Ushiwaka.” He smiled widely in a way that looked more like he was baring his teeth. His eyes were still simmering with fury. “But it doesn’t matter anyway because Iwa-chan isn’t interested in creepy guys like you.”

“Wanna make a bet on that? Because, with the way that Iwaizumi has been looking at me all game,” Tendou’s whisper was soft despite how fast his heart was pounding against his chest. Having Oikawa’s rage solely focused on him was intoxicating, even if he knew the words spilling from his lips were painting a false narrative. “I would say he’s very interested.”

Oikawa didn’t say another word. He turned his face away from Tendou, but the tension in his posture betrayed the fury coursing through his body at Tendou’s insinuation. Tendou moved back into his position as the referee blew the whistle to signal Iwaizumi to hit another serve.

Iwaizumi was standing ready, ball in hand as he met Tendou’s eyes with a worried gaze. The question in his eyes was obvious: _What did Oikawa say?_ Tendou shrugged, playing dumb despite the itch of guilt at his friend’s obvious concern. Iwaizumi was really too good of a person to be absorbed into any of his or Oikawa’s bullshit. Maybe if Tendou was a better person he would take the high road.

_Still_ …

Tendou’s gaze flicked over to Wakatoshi, whose attention had already refocused on the game as he readied for Iwaizumi’s serve.

_Just this one time, I can be selfish._

.…………….

The referee blew the whistle, and Shiratorizawa broke out into cheers as the final point of the first set was awarded to them. The victory had been stolen by Wakatoshi’s cannonlike serve right before the scoreboard had gone in the 30’s. It was really unlucky that match point had lined up perfectly with Wakatoshi’s serve. Tendou felt a twinge of pity for the downtrodden face of the Seijoh’s libero. He was a talented guy, but the fatigue of the long set had made his arms just sloppy enough to shank the speeding ball out of bounds. Though, Tendou was still impressed that he had gone after the ball at all. His own arms were starting to feel like jelly, and he was looking forward to resting in the couple of minutes before the next set started.

Tendou hastily wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead and hustled over to where his team was celebrating in the middle of their court, a wide grin pulling at his cheeks. His hand ruffled the soft, dark hair of Goshiki, and then gave Shirabu’s back a hearty slap. The setter was brimming with too much pride about the win to even protest the redhead’s physical contact.

“Goshiki, I think that was the best game you’ve played so far, even though you did send a few balls out of bounds,” Tendou praised, joining the excited chatter, and the first year’s spine straightened as he preened under the praise. The redhead smiled and turned to Shirabu, “You seem to be fitting into your role as starting setter fairly well.”

“Of course, I am,” Shirabu snarked, but the smug smirk still plastered on his face seemed to forget that he was supposed to be upset with Tendou. “I’ve been working my ass off since I got the position.”

“I know, I know Shirabu. We have quite the hardworking future doctor in our midst,” Tendou cooed and poked the soft flesh of Shirabu’s cheek who, in turn, smacked his hand away. Turning to his next target, Tendou swung an arm around Wakatoshi and rested his head on his broad shoulder, “And you, Miracle Boy, your serves were killer. How many points did you wrack up on serves alone? Twelve? Fifteen?”

“Six,” Wakatoshi corrected simply but still leaned into Tendou’s touch slightly. His body was still tense with anticipation against Tendou’s side. The redhead mused that the man was almost like a machine. Unlike the rest of the team, there was no exhaustion in Wakatoshi’s eyes, only a burning desire to get back onto the court.

“Wakatoshi-kun, aren’t you even the least bit tired?” Tendou purred and trailed his fingers down Wakatoshi’s broad chest. It was an action that would surely get him scolded by Semi after the game, but the adrenaline from the game was making him bold and the proximity of the man was making his head fuzzy.

Not to mention that Tendou was drunk on the attention Oikawa was giving him.

On the other side of the net, Seijoh was licking their wounds, but Oikawa’s hateful glare was fixed only on Tendou. Despite the setter’s best attempts to disguise it behind an impassive mask, Tendou could tell his words were penetrating the man’s impassive armor. With every quip and tease he turned Iwaizumi’s way, Oikawa’s eyes grew a little darker, and his smile stretched a little more sinister. But all of his negative attention was focused on Tendou, not Wakatoshi. It was intoxicating to hold that much power over someone like Oikawa.

Iwaizumi had rolled his eyes at Tendou’s antics and sent a few taunts back, but there was a lingering concern in his eyes that only intensified the longer the game went on. His friend could tell that there was a shift in Tendou and Oikawa’s dynamic, and it was making him visibly anxious.

“Oi, stop groping our captain,” Semi scolded as he marched over to the group and ripped Wakatoshi away from Tendou’s clutches. There was a playful annoyance in his expression, but the twitch of his lips portrayed his joy at their team taking the set from Seijoh as he linked hands with Shirabu. “You need to learn how to keep your hands to yourself and stop molesting innocents.”

Tendou pouted at the loss of contact and gestured to the stoic captain, “Toshi wasn’t complaining.”

“I do enjoy Tendou’s presence,” Wakatoshi commented simply, looking back over at the redhead with a gentle smile on his face. Tendou brightened considerably at the man’s response and tried to inch back over to the captain. His hands were itching to touch him again.

Semi looked between Tendou’s excited expression and Wakatoshi’s honest one and sighed. He rubbed a wary hand over his face in exasperation, grumbling, “Don’t let him take advantage of your naivety, Wakatoshi. He’s being gross.”

“Oh, so I’m gross for giving Wakatoshi a little hug, but you’re allowed to be all icky with PDA with your boyfriend,” Tendou sulked, gesturing to their conjoined hands.

“We’re holding hands, Tendou,” Semi rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics, “You and I have literally held hands before.”

Wakatoshi’s nose scrunched in confusion at Semi’s previous accusation. The heat and anticipation in his eyes lessened slightly as he muttered in disapproval, “I’m not naïve.”

“Sure you aren’t, buddy,” Yamagata laughed from behind him and patted his captain’s shoulder. Wakatoshi eyebrows furrowed, as he tried to detect the sarcasm in the statement, but Yamagata had already moved topics, “But we should all start to head over to the other side before Coach drags us over there himself.”

Washijo was already standing by the benches on the other side of the court. His normally impassive face was tight with irritation as he stared down the players, gesturing for them to make haste over to the bench. With the set of his jaw, Tendou had the unfortunate feeling that they were about to be chewed out for letting Aoba Johsai’s score get so high. The verbal celebration amongst Shiratorizawa quieted as they shuffled over to the other side with Reon and Yamagata leading the way.

Tendou was about to duck under the net when a warm grasp on his wrist yanked him back.

“What did Oikawa say to you?”

Tendou turned to find the distressed face of Iwaizumi peering up at him. Seijoh had yet to begin their migration to the other side, but it seemed that Iwaizumi had sprinted over anyway. His voice was low and steady, but there was worry creasing his brows.

“Nothing, Hajime,” he soothed, trying to ignore the obvious stares of his teammates and attempted to wiggle his wrist free from the man’s grasp, “It was just some friendly jests between opponents. Nothing you need to fret over.”

“We both know that’s bullshit, Satori,” Iwaizumi growled, and his grip tightened around Tendou’s wrist as he pulled the redhead closer to study his face, “I know you, and I know Oikawa. Something happened between you two during the game because he’s acting like even more of a prick than normal to you.”

Tendou blinked, surprised that Iwaizumi had noticed the scalding glares Oikawa shot him when the ace’s back was turned. He always forgot how observant Iwaizumi was. “He’s just a little jealous that you’re paying me so much attention. It’s nothing that I can’t handle.”

“Huh?” Iwaizumi dropped his hold on Tendou. Confusion was coloring his expression at an answer he was obviously not expecting. Guilt pooled in Tendou’s stomach again when the confusion on the man’s face morphed into visible irritation. “The audacity of that asshole. I told him I needed some space and the first thing he does is start harassing the first person I’m paying more attention to.” Iwaizumi made a move to walk back towards Seijoh, “I’ll go talk–”

“It’s not necessary, Hajime,” Tendou interrupted and spun Iwaizumi back to face him. His voice was still only soft enough for Iwaizumi and placed two steadying hands on the ace’s shoulders. His teammates’ stares were burning holes in his back, but Tendou’s main concern at the moment was to stop Iwaizumi from committing murder. “I’m more than capable of handling Oikawa. There’s no reason to cause more drama with him because he’s being an ass. I’m also being an ass. That’s our whole schtick.”

Tendou neglected to mention that he was egging Oikawa on. The setter would have largely left him alone if the redhead didn’t keep making sly innuendos and gestures directed at Iwaizumi whenever Oikawa made eye contact with him. It was childish, but Tendou wasn’t above that kind of behavior.

Iwaizumi hesitated for a second, searching Tendou’s face for any trace of a lie, before eventually sighing and scrubbing his hands over his face in exasperation. “I’m sorry for marching over here. You’re probably going to get a ton of shit from your teammates. I’ll help you work it out after the game, if you want.” He met Tendou’s concerned gaze with tired eyes and continued in a soft, vulnerable voice, “I’m just so tired of dealing with this. I thought that limiting our interactions to strictly volleyball for the time being would help,” Iwaizumi let out a strangled laugh, “but somehow distancing myself hurts me more than being beside him.”

“It’ll all be okay, Hajime. I can handle my team. They’re more than used to my antics pissing off the other team,” Tendou soothed and resisted the urge to pull his friend into a hug, knowing that it would be difficult to explain away if he did. The man looked emotionally drained. “As far as Oikawa goes, I’m sure everything will work out. It just needs some more time.”

Iwaizumi hummed in agreement but then lifted his gaze with a reignited flame, “Don’t think just because I’m sad that means I’m going to let you win the next set though.” The smugness in his voice made the corners of Tendou’s mouth twitch up. “You got lucky in the last set, but I’m gonna put your ass through the ground.”

“There’s the Iwaizumi we know and love,” Tendou crooned and matched Iwaizumi’s gaze with a fiery one of his own, “But alas, the trauma has made you delusional. You think that you’re going to be able to beat me. Maybe you should get your head checked out by a doctor.”

“Tendou.”

The redhead jumped at the voice and glanced up to see Wakatoshi standing less than a foot away. Tendou blinked rapidly at the sudden appearance of the captain. He hadn’t even heard the man’s approach. However, Wakatoshi didn’t even seem to notice the redhead’s surprise as his stormy eyes were locked on where Tendou’s hands were still laying on Iwaizumi’s shoulders. Tendou snatched his hands away in shame.

“Oh Wakatoshi-kun, I didn’t see you there,” he hummed, trying to ignore the thundering heartbeat in his chest, “Iwaizumi just needed me for a quick second. What’s up?”

“Coach Washijou requested that you stop talking with the members of Seijoh and join the team meeting,” Wakatoshi rumbled in an unusually icy tone. The captain reached forward and wrapped his large fingers around the wrist that Iwaizumi had held and jerked Tendou in his direction. “Iwaizumi-san, I suggest you go back to your own team, and leave Tendou alone.”

The cutting sharpness in Wakatoshi’s voice made Iwaizumi take a step back. The opposing ace shot a nervous look at Tendou, but the redhead just waved him off to go back to his team. He was more than capable of handling Wakatoshi by himself.

Iwaizumi gave a nod of his head as a goodbye to Tendou and skittered back to his team where Oikawa had been standing, fixated on their exchange. His dark gaze found Tendou’s, but the redhead just winked in response, which only served to further irritate the man, before turning his attention to Wakatoshi.

“Are you okay, Tendou?”

Wakatoshi’s tone was warm and soft again as he regarded Tendou, and his grip on the redhead’s wrist loosened into something more gentle. His thumb stroked soothing circles into the other man skin as his concerned eyes scanned over Tendou for any sign of injury or distress.

“Whatcha you mean, Wakatoshi?” Tendou stated, confused at the sudden mood shift of his captain, but his traitorous heart was still thundering at the softness being directed at him.

“Iwaizumi was threatening you, was he not?” Wakatoshi rumbled. The pitch of his voice was dangerously low as he mentioned the name, and the lines of his face hardened. “He grabbed you, and you looked very distressed as he was talking. I would’ve come over sooner, but Reon said I may have been misinterpreting things.”

Tendou’s heart soared but tried to swallow the thrill at Wakatoshi acting so protective and corrected him, “Iwaizumi just wanted to talk, Wakatoshi. No threatening here. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“Oh.” Wakatoshi shuffled his feet, looking slightly bashful. “I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation then.”

“It’s okay, Toshi. Our conversation was pretty much over anyway,” Tendou chirped and started to lead Wakatoshi back over to their teammates, “I needed to get to the team meeting anyway. We have the rest of our practice match waiting.”

Wakatoshi hummed in agreement and began to trail after Tendou. There was the hint of relief in his eyes that Tendou was in fact not being harassed by the ace of the other team, but his fingers were still looped around the redhead’s wrist. “What did he need to talk to you about?”

Tendou’s step faltered at the question. Wakatoshi was rarely nosy enough to inquire about situations that didn’t directly involve him.

“Ah, it was nothing, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou answered and winced at how quickly the answer had tumbled out of his lips, “Just some friendly inquiries about the match.”

Wakatoshi didn’t seem satisfied with the answer and tried again.

“It must have been important if he left his team to ask.”

Tendou swallowed thickly and attempted to shut the conversation down quickly. The longer it went on the more likely he would be to slip. “Ah, it’s really nothing important. He was just wondering if Oikawa was giving me a hard time.” Tendou sent what he hoped was a dazzling smile in Wakatoshi’s direction and ignored the sweet taste of the lie on his tongue. “Don’t worry Wakatoshi. I would tell you if anything was wrong, but we should really hurry over and hear what Washijo is saying.”

Wakatoshi nodded, but his eyes held an unreadable emotion as he compliantly followed Tendou to join the team meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK. 
> 
> Let me just say thank you to my wonderful Beta reader. Holy crap I could not do this without her. She helps me catch so many grammar errors and helps me smooth out choppy points in the plot. She is,,, the best.
> 
> Also, again, thank you to all of you! I was floored by how many people left comments and kudos last chapter. I just can't thank you all enough for your continued support. You all are so kind and wonderful,,, and just,,, thank you so much for reading this fic. I love writing and it makes me so happy to have people reading.
> 
> I'm sorry for leaving you guys on a kinda cliff hanger again. I ended up splitting the chapter into two parts because I realized there was a natural ending point in the middle of the original chapter I was writing that made it really awkward to read, so I split it into two. The next chapter will be the end of the game, and I am honestly so excited to finish writing it because there is a scene in it I've been thinking about since I started writing. My university did start its new semester though, and my classes are already kicking my ass, so I will probably only be able to update every 2-3 weeks going forward. 
> 
> Whew, this is a long author's note. 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy out there and see you in a couple weeks!!


	10. Involuntary Confessions and Self-Destruction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: Whoops, Maybe I Need to Update My Angst Tag :)

Washijo fixed them both with a piercing glare at their tardiness but continued on without pause as Wakatoshi dropped Tendou’s wrist. Their performance as a team was adequate, he stated, but individually, their receives were sloppy and their blocks were slow. Shiratorizawa would be unseated from its throne if their technique didn’t tighten up and soon. Seijoh was growing much too comfortable in the game, and their score shouldn’t even approach twenty if Shiratorizawa didn’t want to suffer through diving receive drills for the entirety of next practice.

The thought of an entire practice of throwing himself to the ground to get the ball made Tendou’s elbows and knees ache preemptively as he listened to the coach continue to admonish them. Washijo was seriously underestimating Aoba Johsai if he thought that his team could get and keep a five-point lead on them. While Shiratorizawa was the superior team, Aoba Johsai was far from inexperienced or inadequate. Any victory over them would be ripped from their desperate hands and gnashing teeth. Come Saturday, Tendou’s body would be punished for the man’s hubris.

After Washijo had finished his piece, he turned his back on the team and moved to sit grumpily on the bench. The scowl was etched on his face as the assistant coach stepped forward to direct the team to their appropriate positions on the court. The backline would make use of Reon, Yamagata, and Goshiki like in the previous set, and, of course, Wakatoshi would be starting.

“Tendou.”

The middle blocker perked up at his name coming from the assistant coach’s mouth and called out, “Yes, Coach?”

“We’re going to have you on the bench for the first half of the set with Taichi filling your spot on the court until then,” the man stated, analyzing something on the clipboard in his hands. “Taichi was only in for a couple plays in the first match, while Iwaizumi was hitting you pretty hard consistently. We would prefer you in top shape in case we need you.”

“Alrighty, Coach,” Tendou hummed, secretly relieved that his aching fingers would get some more rest before immediately going back up against Iwaizumi’s hits. Though, he couldn’t deny the twinge of disappointment that accompanied that relief. With that the assistant coach launching into his closing remarks, Tendou saw his opportunity to harass his juniors. Shuffling a couple steps to where Taichi and Goshiki were patiently listening, he gave a hardy smack to his protege’s back as the assistant coach continued prattling on. “It’s your turn to shine, Taichi.”

The younger man turned back to him and looked less than enthused about having to fill his shoes in the high stakes game. Washijo was not nearly as kind about Taichi’s unambitious blocking during games as he was during practice, if you could even venture to call his general treatment kind. Taichi’s voice was as unenthusiastic as his face as he drawled, “Fantastic. You get Seijoh all worked up, and now I get to deal with them.”

“Oh, you’ll do fine, Taichi,” Tendou cooed but the sweetness in his voice had the younger middle blocker narrowing his eyes, “Or you better figure out how to do fine. I can’t have my dearest protégé embarrassing me in front of my rivals. They’ll question my expertise as a mentor.”

Goshiki jerked up from beside Taichi at Tendou’s words. His eyebrows furrowed over his round eyes as he spoke to his senior, offended, “I thought I was your dearest protégé.”

Tendou couldn’t help but smile as he reached across the Taichi to ruffle Goshiki’s hair for the nth time this game. The boy radiated some kind of loveable simplicity that made Tendou want to swaddle him with love and protection. “As the next in line to take my spot, Taichi is my only protégé, but don’t worry, Tsutomu. Overall, you’re still my favorite.”

The future ace preened under Tendou’s affirmation, satisfied that he still ranked above Taichi. He sent a smug glance over to the sandy haired middle blocker who rolled his eyes in response. Turning his attention back to his senior, Taichi snarked, “You’re babying him again. If you keep doing this, his head is gonna get too big for him to fit through his shirt.” Ignoring the accompanying glare that Goshiki threw his way, the middle blocker continued, “And who said I was your protégé? I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

“How else would I pass on my title if I don’t have a protégé?” Tendou sung forlornly, and he could see Taichi resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, “Who else is supposed to avenge me when my enemies strike me down?”

“I don’t really want your title. That sounds like a lot of extra responsibility,” the younger blocker admitted. His tone was bored, but there was a flicker of interest in his eyes as he continued to regard Tendou, “Speaking of enemies though, what did Iwaizumi need to talk to you about? We couldn’t really hear anything from where we were, but it seemed pretty intense.”

“Me and Shirabu wanted to check on you to make sure he wasn’t threatening you before Ushijima-san went over,” Goshiki chimed in. There was pride shimmering in his eyes before it was dulled by a scowl creasing his face, “But Semi-senpai stopped us. He said that it wasn’t any of our business and practically dragged Shirabu to the other side of the group.”

At Goshiki’s comment, Tendou’s eyes flickered over to the opposite side of the group where Semi and Shirabu were standing together, intently listening to the coach.

_Ah, I was wondering why Shirabu didn’t immediately ambush me._

“He was just worried about Oikawa being an ass and all that,” Tendou waved off dismissively, but sent a silent thank you to Semi in his head for running interference with Shirabu. Maybe he would do the cleaning in their room this month as repayment. There had been the half-hearted hope that his teammates would refrain from questioning him until after the game. Wakatoshi was easy enough to shake off, but the rest of the team was an entirely different story. “Iwaizumi is a good guy. He wouldn’t threaten me or anything.”

“He’s never been worried about Oikawa in the past,” Taichi mused offhandedly. “I wonder what changed.”

“Who knows?” Tendou hummed and turned to Goshiki, desperate to change the subject, “Tsutomu, since I won’t be on the court, I need you to keep my momentum going. Don’t let Seijoh score a single ace on you.”

“But it’s kinda weird don’t you think, Tendou?” Taichi interrupted before Goshiki could respond to the request, “Why would Iwaizumi be so concerned about your feelings when he’s been tearing into you all game?”

Tendou scowled at his normally apathetic junior’s sudden interest and turned his attention back to Taichi, “How would I know? I can’t read Iwaizumi’s thoughts. Maybe he just wanted to be a good guy in the face of his asshole captain. Who are we to question it?”

“It still seems pretty suspicious,” Taichi continued to press, despite the general apathy in his tone. His eyes were studying the redhead’s face, and there was something calculating in his gaze that made Tendou’s skin itch the longer he was under it. “Oikawa is his best friend. Why would he feel the need to explain the behavior of his best friend to a relative acquaintance?”

“Who’s to say?” Tendou gritted his teeth.

“It might be important to figure out the reasons,” Taichi speculated. His gaze was still trained on his senior’s expression as he spoke his next words, “Maybe he’s trying to lull you into a false sense of security or something and jump you after the game.”

“Iwaizumi isn’t like that,” Tendou snapped, feeling a spike of irritation at the insinuation that Iwaizumi would ever do something to harm him. Sure, the ace had a bad taste in friends and was a little too feral when playing volleyball, but that hardly gave Taichi the ability to judge the worth of his character. Iwaizumi was a good person, a much better person than Tendou was. Swallowing his rising temper at the wide-eyed expressions of his juniors, Tendou continued in a calmer voice, “I mean, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

“My mistake. It was just an observation,” Taichi answered simply and held up pacifying hands to his senior. His bored expression had returned, but Tendou couldn’t help feeling that he had somehow slipped up with the satisfied glint that had replaced the calculating one in his junior’s eyes.

The conversation between the three of them ceased, and Tendou inclined his head in goodbye before he shuffled back over towards Wakatoshi, mulling over the conversation he had just had. Taichi wasn’t a junior that typically caused him problems, as he would only offer a dry comment or an occasional pointed jab at the team’s antics. The boy’s apathy and general lack of ambition proved to be a foil to that of his hot-tempered, hardworking roommate, and Tendou frequently found the cool attitude of the younger middle blocker refreshing after a tease or jibe caused Shirabu to explode. It was one of the reasons he had taken the unwilling boy under his wing.

His interest in the situation, regardless of how limited, worried Tendou. The redhead was already stretched thin with juggling Semi’s worried looks, their setter’s violent mood swings and Wakatoshi’s recent fondness. He didn’t need to add his protégé’s probing curiosity; he might just snap.

_Eita is right. I’m terrible at keeping secrets. Maybe I’ll just bite the bullet and introduce them to Hajime officially after the game._

Groaning quietly, Tendou scrubbed his hands over his face.

_But that would mean explaining everything, and I don’t wanna have to answer all their questions._

“Is everything okay, Tendou?” The breath was warm against the shell of his ear, and Tendou jerked away on instinct before turning on Wakatoshi who was standing dangerously close to him; his face creased in worry. “You look stressed.”

Relaxing slightly, Tendou sighed and leaned his body against Wakatoshi’s side, “It’s nothing. Just thinking, Toshi.”

Wakatoshi hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t pry further, as he switched his attention back on the assistant coach who had finished his closing remarks and moved to dismiss them. Tendou wished his captain good luck with the promise to join him on the court by the middle of the set. The man simply nodded and stated that he was looking forward to it. His focus was already drawn back to Seijoh, and the burning intensity in his eyes had returned as he maneuvered to his position with Taichi and Goshiki trailing closely behind.

The redhead could do nothing but sigh and take a swig from his water bottle as he trudged over to his normal spot beside Semi, waiting for the whistle that would signify the start of the set.

.…………….

Semi, to his credit, was remarkably reserved for the first couple serves of the next set. He gave a couple of loud shouts of encouragement alongside Tendou as Goshiki’s serves sailed over the net and even let out a small whoop of excitement when Shirabu barely managed to rescue a haywire ball. However, he had restrained himself from asking about what had gone on between Iwaizumi and Tendou which surprised the redhead. Tendou could tell that curiosity was eating away at the setter by the looks that he kept shooting his way whenever he thought the redhead wasn’t looking, but, for whatever reason, Semi was stopping himself from actually asking the question.

After the fifth point of the game was awarded to Seijoh and the nth prodding glance from the setter, an anxious Tendou broke the ice.

“You’re not going to ask me about what happened with Iwaizumi?” Tendou’s voice was teasing, and he interlocked his fingers behind his head as he observed Semi with wide, curious eyes. “I thought for sure that you would’ve been the first person to ask, especially with Shirabu breathing down your neck.”

Semi stiffened slightly at the query, despite trying to appear as if he was carefully observing Seijoh’s first year who was readying to serve. Turning slightly to face Tendou, he rolled his shoulders into a shrug that did little to ease the underlying tension. “I figured you would tell me if it was important.”

The redhead soured at the forced casualness underneath the blatant falsehood and unlaced his fingers to deliver a couple quick jabs to the setter’s side, jeering, “C’mon Semisemi, you’re just as bad at lying as I am. What’s the real reason?”

“Don’t touch me,” Semi hissed and smacked his hand away. The edge in his voice had Tendou fighting to keep the surprise off of his face. The setter’s eyes narrowed for a moment, frustration flickering in their depths, before he sighed and raked a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You’re not gonna tell me the truth as long as we’re around the rest of the team, so what’s the point in even asking?” Semi shrugged again. The tension still present in his shoulders as he turned his attention back to the game and muttered darkly, “It seemed like Wakatoshi handled it perfectly fine anyway.”

Tendou blinked back the hurt at the bite of bitterness in his friend’s words.

“Eita, are you mad at me?”

The question slipped out involuntarily from Tendou’s lips in a voice that sounded almost too vulnerable. While Semi was frequently annoyed or exasperated by Tendou’s antics, he rarely got actually upset with him without good reason. The redhead ran through every conversation they had had since the start of the game but drew a blank on anything that was spectacularly out of the ordinary that would’ve resulted in this kind of treatment from his roommate.

“No?” Semi startled, and his attention flickered back to Tendou. There was guilt and some unknown emotion churning in his eyes as he sighed for a second time, and aggressively rubbed his temples with his pale fingers. “Shit, I’m not mad at you. It’s just been a long week with everything, especially between classes, practice and Kenjirou being way more pissy than normal.” His gaze flicked back to the court where Shirabu elegantly sent the ball in an arc to an awaiting Taichi. “I was just hoping that the game was going to be less drama filled than normal, but I guess that’s my fault for expecting that when we’re facing Seijoh.”

It was only then that Tendou recognized the emotion in his eyes.

“Ah.”

Tendou’s reply came out short. The relief that had come with Semi’s sudden assurance that he wasn’t mad at him came at the cost of a new stone of guilt weighing in his stomach. He had supposed that since Semi already played a few games in the new formation that he would be okay for this match. Afterall, the former starting setter always assured them that he was proud of Shirabu for earning the spot as a second year. But, Tendou supposed, it was a different feeling being on the sidelines of your own court, watching all of your teammates face off against your greatest rival without you. Refocusing on the game in time to see Iwaizumi slam a ball into Taichi’s waiting block, Tendou hummed, “Don’t tell Shirabu, but I still like your sets better.”

“He’ll throw a fit if you ever tell him that,” Semi snorted, but Tendou saw some of the tension drained from his shoulders at the affirmation. His eyes were tracing the path of the ball as it hurtled to Seijoh’s waiting libero, commenting off handedly, “He’ll never admit it, but you and Wakatoshi are his favorite people to toss to, and I know you enjoy his tosses too. Your spikes are more precise than they’ve ever been.”

The corners of Tendou’s mouth twitched up, and he knocked his shoulders with Semi’s as he cooed, “Flattery will get you nowhere. My ego’s big enough without you trying to stroke it, Semisemi.”

“It was an observation, not a compliment, asshole,” Semi rolled his eyes, but there was humor twitching at his lips. He let out another shout of encouragement as Reon lunged forward and popped up the hurtling spike from Matsukawa.

Tendou let out a bright cheer of his own before he leaned his weight into Semi’s side and crooned, “It sounded like a compliment to me.”

“Of course it would, and stop leaning on me,” Semi muttered and rolled his eyes again. The warm affection in his voice was undeniable as he playfully shoved Tendou off of him. “You’re surprisingly heavy.”

The setter turned his attention back to the game with the demand that the redhead does the same and stop distracting him. As he carefully glanced at the pointed features of his friend, Tendou briefly entertained the idea that he had made a mistake keeping Iwaizumi a secret from Semi. Afterall, Semi was his first friend at Shiratorizawa. They had been paired together as roommates anonymously their first year. The first time Tendou met the pretty boy setter he was afraid that the boy would subject him to the same taunts and ridicule of his childhood bullies. It was sheer coincidence that they both got onto the volleyball team, and that the setter turned into a close friend with a nasty temper and an incessant need to mother hen his friends. Sure, they had their spats and disagreements, but besides Wakatoshi, Semi was the person he felt closest to at Shiratorizawa. If Tendou did introduce them, he and Iwaizumi probably would get along well. They were both steady presences with a tendency towards aggressive affection and would probably lament as they shared stories of Tendou’s antics.

 _But_ —

Tendou turned his gaze on Wakatoshi as he leapt up into the air and slammed the clean toss given to him into the other court, muscles rippling with power. Seijoh’s libero didn’t stand a chance against a perfect spike like that, and the ball rocketed into the back corner of the court with a resounding thud, practically leaving a dent in its wake. Cheers erupted from Shiratorizawa’s side. Wakatoshi stood proud, satisfaction was plain in his expression as he accepted the praise from the other members on the court. His eyes caught Tendou’s, and he turned slightly to level his intense stare at the redhead. With his heart thudding against the cage of his ribs, Tendou shot an enthusiastic two thumbs up which the man accepted with a gracious nod of his head and a small grin playing on his lips before turning his attention back to the rest of his celebrating teammates.

_I’m not ready to deal with the can of worms that accompanies that introduction just yet._

The celebration began to dwindle, and the ball was tossed over to Shiratorizawa. The next to serve was Wakatoshi’s, and the tension was palpable as the other side readied for the powerful hit to crash into them. A smile twitched at Tendou’s lips as he recognized the look of irritation on Iwaizumi’s face, and the ace lowered his stance in preparation. He had already managed to receive a couple of Wakatoshi’s serves in the previous match, but the redhead doubted that his friend could continue the streak. Receiving one of Wakatoshi’s serves and then controlling said receive was difficult enough without the additional fatigue from the previous match. The poor man’s arms were going to be sore the next day.

As if sensing Tendou’s doubt, Iwaizumi’s eyes darted towards the sidelines of Shiratorizawa and narrowed slightly. Blowing a small kiss, the redhead raised his hand slightly and fluttered his fingers in a titillating wave to the opposing ace. The man’s expression curdled in disgust and made a sharp movement of his thumb across his throat. Tendou bit his lip to stop his smirk at the man’s blatant revulsion, snf Iwaizumi’s attention snapped back to the game with the shrill note of the whistle. The most disappointing part of being benched for the first half of the game was that it was much more difficult to tease and taunt Iwaizumi, and by extension Oikawa, from this distance.

Wakatoshi gave a few experiment dribbles to the ball before tossing it in front of him and proceeding to slam it into the opposing court. Tendou heard an audible grunt as Iwaizumi was the lucky recipient of the ace’s powerful serve. However, the man still managed to send the ball up cleanly to Oikawa, though his tanned skin was an angry red at the point of impact.

Tendou couldn’t help but give out a low whistle as he watched Iwaizumi proceed to rocket himself into the air and slam Oikawa’s set into Taichi’s awaiting block. There was a yell of “one-touch” as the ball rebounded off of Taichi’s fingers from the sheer force behind it. Yamagata was quick to position himself under the ball and pass it to Shirabu who in turn passed it towards Wakatoshi. The hit from their captain tore through the blockers of Seijoh. Once again, Iwaizumi squatted down and received the ball, but Oikawa set the ball in the direction of Hanamaki. The pink-haired man’s spike was dug by a determined Goshiki. At the call of their captain, Shirabu once again tossed the ball to an awaiting Wakatoshi. For a third time, the ball hurtled towards Iwaizumi. Deepening his stance, the man visibly winced as the ball bounced off of his outstretched arms towards Oikawa.

As Iwaizumi leapt once again into the air with a call to his setter for the ball, Tendou couldn’t help but grin. The sheen of sweat already gracing his brow and the stinging red marks from the impact showed the physical strain of taking on a successive volley of Wakatoshi’s hits. However, the intensity in the opposing ace’s eyes betrayed no physical exhaustion as he tore through the air and blasted the ball into Shiratorizawa’s side. The momentum of the ball was too much for Goshiki to receive, as the spike ricocheted off of his arms into the sidelines. With a whistle to signify a point towards Seijoh, Iwaizumi’s face broke out into a proud smile as his teammates rushed over to him.

“Nice.” The hiss of praise was involuntary and quiet coming from Tendou’s mouth, but he was in too much awe of Iwaizumi’s strength to notice. The fatigue from the previous match was gone from his bones, replaced with a deep hunger to get back on the court and wipe the smug smirk off of Iwaizumi’s face. His fingers twitched at his sides, itching to block the opposing ace’s spikes and watch irritation creep into his expression.

“You know,” Semi’s voice broke Tendou out of his trance as he whipped his head around to meet his friend’s quizzical gaze. There was the chirp of the referee’s whistle as the game resumed, but it did nothing to distract Semi as his eyes studied Tendou. There was a sudden hint of hesitation in his expression as the setter’s tongue darted out to wet his lips before he continued, “If there was something else going on with you and Iwaizumi, beyond volleyball, I wouldn’t be mad at you.”

The floor of Tendou’s stomach fell into his toes.

His mouth was remarkably dry as he tried to swallow the rising anxiety building in his chest. He could feel his eyes widening as his brain oscillated between panic and shock. He thought Semi had dropped the topic of Iwaizumi. Why was he bringing him up again? Was it because of the ‘nice’ comment? Tendou rarely complimented opponents, but Iwaizumi was strong. Semi couldn’t deny that.

A million more questions rattled around inside his skull as he tried to recover from the unexpected query. Did Semi know something that he was reluctant to tell Tendou? How did Semi know something? If Semi knew something, did that mean that his other teammates did as well? Was that why Taichi was so interested? If Taichi knew something, did that mean Shirabu did? Was that why he was in such a bad mood? But when had Tendou let something slip? What had he—

Semi was still staring at him. His eyes were honest, not calculation in their depths as he studied Tendou. The redhead tried to regain his composure, plastering on a neutral smile in an attempt to placate both Semi and his own rising anxiety. There was a warble in his voice, as he attempted to play dumb, “That’s a weird thing to ask, Semisemi. Where would you even get an idea like that?”

“Tendou, you’ve barely been able to take your eyes off of him all game, and you—” Semi commented plainly, but the pause in his words set Tendou on edge. It was as if Semi was holding a secret in a lock behind his teeth. “And you have been off the past few weeks. We’ve barely even talked outside of practice and niceties. I’m just saying that if that’s the cause, it’s okay.”

Tendou snorted in what he hoped sounded like indignation and began to pick at his fingernails. A thick film of sweetness coated his tongue as the lies rolled off of it, “Iwaizumi is the ace on the other team, and his power is sometimes equivalent to Wakatoshi’s. Of course I’m gonna focus my attention on him. That’s what makes it fun.” His voice got slightly louder as he lamely gestured to Seijoh’s side of the court. “And I haven’t just been focused on Iwaizumi. Oikawa has gotten a fair share of my attention too.”

“And you’ve only been doing that by taunting him about Iwaizumi,” Semi snorted, exasperated by his friend’s denial. “I’m on the bench, Tendou. I’m not deaf. Even if the rest of the team is too wrapped up in the game to hear the taunts you lob Oikawa’s way, I still can. Iwaizumi has been your focus, even when you’re pissing off the pretty boy setter.” His tone was stern but not overly aggressive. “He practically sprinted to you after the game.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to pry until I’m ready to talk about it,” Tendou’s voice was petulant and irritated. He knew that throwing the setter’s words back in his face would more than likely confirm the other’s suspicions, and it was frankly a childish way to force an end to the conversation, but the longer it went on the more panic was winning in his head. He felt too raw, too exposed, under Semi’s rather understanding gaze. The redhead just wanted to stick a pin in the conversation and leave it to rot. Everything was getting too complicated. He wasn’t ready to expose his friendship with Iwaizumi to the scrutiny of his teammates, and he definitely wasn’t ready to explain the reason they were friends in the first place. “It’s kind of a crappy move to go back on your word, Semisemi.”

“It’s not tha— I’m not trying—,” Semi paused for a moment to control his rising temper. He scrubbed an exasperated hand over his face before rapping his knuckles against his forehead three times; a habit he almost exclusively reserved for when Tendou was fraying his nerves. When he spoke again, the man’s voice was more level. “I’m not trying to start a fight here, Tendou, and I won’t pry anymore if you don’t want me to. I’m just saying that I’m your friend, and whether it’s true or not, I’m not going to hate you if your relationship with Iwaizumi goes beyond volleyball.”

Tendou didn’t even get the opportunity to retort as the whistle shrieked out a note, and Seijoh once again erupted into cheers. Both men snapped their attention to their own teammates clenched fists and darkened eyes. Seijoh had scored their second consecutive point.

“Taichi! You’re switching out!” The bark came from a remarkably pissed looking Washijou who jerked his thumb in Tendou’s direction. “Tendou! You’re back in!”

“Yes Coach.”

Tendou was on autopilot as he hustled to the sideline; the assistant coach pushed a paddle into his hand as he passed. His mind was whirling from Semi’s line of questioning as the referee whistled and made a gesture to indicate a switch of players.

He knew that he wasn’t being subtle about his interest in Iwaizumi. It was difficult to be subtle when the rise he got out of both Iwaizumi and Oikawa was so addictingly sweet on his tongue. He had readied himself for some of his teammates’ taunts and teases to be about Iwaizumi before the actual game, but their intuition about the situation was making his head spin. Their questions and observations were too pointed, like it was a secret they were already aware of, and Tendou’s skin practically crawled at the thought.

Taichi’s shoes squeaked as he jogged over to meet his redheaded mentor and gripped the paddle.

“Good luck with Iwaizumi,” Taichi hummed, as he stepped outside the court lines. There was a sheen of sweat across the younger blocker’s forehead, and his palm was warm as it brushed against Tendou’s. He patted the redhead’s shoulder, pityingly, as he took the paddle from Tendou’s grasp. “He’s in peak form.”

Tendou winced internally, as he made his way onto the court, and Taichi took his place next to Semi, flashing him an unenthused thumbs up. If he was being honest right now, he wasn’t in the correct headspace to be facing off against Iwaizumi anymore. The comments from Semi had thrown him off-kilter, and the fire of eagerness in his chest was seemingly extinguished as he desperately tried to regain his footing.

He just needed everything to stop for a moment so that he could organize his thoughts. If he just had one minute of stillness, he could think things through and weigh the consequences of each path of action.

But the world seemed to be against giving him any sort of break as the whistle blew, and Seijoh was given the signal to serve. From his corner, Hanamaki tossed the ball up and repeated his serve, slamming it into Yamagata’s outstretched arms.

The pass barely touched Shirabu’s fingers as Reon shuffled a couple steps before launching his attack and smashing the ball into Matsukawa’s awaiting block. Seijoh’s young libero lunged for the ball and easily passed it up to Oikawa, whose set went straight to Iwaizumi.

As if compensating for his busy mind, Tendou’s body moved on instinct. In a flash, he was up in the air, and his imposing hands in the path of Iwaizumi’s spike. He barely registered the ball ricochet off his fingers back onto Aoba Johsai’s side until he heard a curse rip through Iwaizumi’s lips.

“Fuck.”

From his position beside Iwaizumi, Oikawa threw his body to the ground, barely managing to dig the blocked ball. It was sent up into a smooth arc back over to Shiratorizawa’s side, and Tendou could hear a call from Yamagata claiming the chance ball. Despite the noise in his own head, the redhead’s lips curled involuntarily up as he stepped a couple steps back to see Shirabu’s clean set sail towards Goshiki.

“I leave the court for a couple sets, and you let yourself get this sloppy, Iwaizumi?” Tendou hummed and watched Goshiki’s spike sail over the net. The taunting felt familiar, stable. It grounded his whirling thoughts for a moment as he turned to Iwaizumi with half-lidden eyes and purred, “Maybe I need to _whip_ you back into shape.”

The opposing ace’s eyes hungrily traced the path of the spike as Seijoh’s libero popped the ball up to Oikawa. The setter’s gaze flickered to Tendou for a moment before positioning himself to send the set to his best friend. Iwaizumi leapt into the air, and Tendou followed the movement. Iwaizumi’s grin turned wicked as his arm tore through the air towards the ball. “Maybe I just missed kicking your ass.”

The spike was more powerful than the last one, and Tendou let out a hiss of pain as the ball unfairly smacked against one of his hands, sending it hurtling back. He heard a shout from Yamagata for the ball, but Tendou turned back to face Iwaizumi with another tease on his lips, “Oh, so you missed me? How sweet, Iwaizumi.” He batted his eyes in the opposing ace’s direction. “Though you seem oddly fixated on my ass, should I be concerned?”

“Maybe it’s because you are an ass,” Iwaizumi snarled, but the corners of his lips twitched in humor.

As long as he focused on volleyball and taunting Iwaizumi, and by extension Oikawa, the creeping thoughts of anxiety regarding the events that would unfold after the game were kept at bay. All Tendou had to do was ignore the silent accusations from his teammates and focus his nervous energy on Seijoh, and he would survive long enough to find the solution. Yes, he would figure out the perfect answer to all of his friend’s probing questions and then he would organize the perfect time to tell them about Iwaizumi. It would all work out if he could just distract himself long enough to calm down. Maybe he could even turn up the obnoxiousness and throw his teammates off the scent. It was going to work out fine and dandy.

“Did you spend your entire time on the bench coming up with that one, Ten-chan?” Oikawa’s voice had retained the sickening sweetness from the previous set as he chimed in from his position next to Iwaizumi. “If only you were as good with words as you are at volleyball.”

Tendou cast a quick glance Oikawa’s way but barely got to savor the setter’s furious eyes before Wakatoshi’s spike rocketed past him on its path over the net. It barely missed Iwaizumi’s face as the ace darted back to receive the spike, but the sloppy receive went soaring back over to Shiratorizawa’s side. Reon was under the ball in a second and sent it back Shirabu’s way.

“Iwaizumi, since you seem so in love with me, I have a little proposal,” Tendou hummed, as he watched his setter prepare to send the ball Reon’s way before turning back to face his friend on the opposite side. His eyes on Oikawa as he lowered his voice enough to just barely loud enough for the setter to hear, “How about I owe you a little kiss if you get a ball passed me, as a little treat? It’s not going to happen, of course, but it gives you something to fight for.”

Everything was going to be okay. Tendou knew everything was going to work out if he kept up his normal behavior. He would figure this out and play it off. It was going to be okay.

Iwaizumi’s mask of focus slipped for a second, as he processed Tendou’s words. His eyes were wide and quizzical at the sudden escalation of Tendou’s taunts, as he responded. “Huh?”

Oikawa, on the other hand, had no trouble understanding Tendou’s words. He took a slight step forward with his teeth bared before his attention flicked back to the ball that was soaring over the net. He took a couple of hurried steps back. The irritation in his shoulders still clear as he set up the pass sent his way by Seijoh’s libero. “Iwa-chan!”

In a flash, Iwaizumi was in the air with his arm poised. The intensity in his eyes burned despite the brief distraction of Tendou’s words. The redhead followed him into the air; his hands already outstretched. The opposing ace’s arm tore through the air as it approached the ball, but at the last moment attempted to alter the trajectory of his spike with a twist of his shoulder. However, Tendou’s eyes caught the subtle movement and swung his hands down right into the ball’s new path.

The spike smacked into Tendou’s block at full force and went careening out of bounds. There was a scramble by the other members of Seijoh’s court to save the ball, but it hit the gym flooring with a resounding thud. With the shriek of the whistle, Iwaizumi clenched his fists, and his teeth bared in irritation. Glee filled Tendou.

“To think that you underestimated me again,” Tendou crooned. His blood was roaring in his ears as he savored his victory over the opposing ace. His head felt dizzy with exhilaration as he leaned in close to the net. Everything was working out. Everything was okay. Everything would be okay. This successful block was a good omen. “I already warned you not to underestimate me. You think that I would fall for such a rookie move.” He felt truly clear-headed for the first time since his encounter with Taichi. Pure thrill was running through his veins. “Looks like you’re not getting that little victory kiss, Hajime.”

Caught up in the same wave of excitement, Iwaizumi took a step forward. His eyes looked positively feral as he snarled through a clenched jaw, “Try that one more time, and I’ll break your fucking fingers, Satori.”

The names had rolled off their tongues so easily from their frequent use in private that Tendou didn’t even realize his mistake until the broken whisper of Oikawa sounded from Iwaizumi’s right.

“Satori?”

Tendou’s blood ran cold. His eyes darted to where Oikawa was staring wide-eyed at Iwaizumi. Disbelief and fury were dueling for their place on his face as he looked back and forth Iwaizumi and Tendou, struggling to figure out which one to interrogate first. He finally settled on Tendou, as he pointed an accusatory finger at the redheaded man. There was a tremble to his lips that might look like sorrow to any outside observer, but Tendou knew Oikawa well enough to know it wasn’t sadness he was struggling to reign in: it was rage.

“And did you call Iwa-chan, Hajime?” His voice filled with disbelief as he turned the finger to point back at himself. “He doesn’t even let me call him that in public.” Oikawa huffed out a laugh as his eyes narrowed, and he took another step closer so his nose was brushing the net. There was no humor in his words as he continued, “Exactly what kind of relationship do you have with Iwaizumi that you two call each other by your first names when he won’t even let me, his best friend, call him that anymore?”

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi attempted to tug Oikawa away from the net. His voice was stern, but Tendou could see the panic flashing in his eyes as he nervously looked between his best friend and his new friend. “This isn’t the time or place. Let’s just get back the game. I’ll explain after we finish.”

“Don’t _Tooru_ me. I’m not a child, Iwaizumi. You can’t use _my_ first name and expect everything to be okay,” Oikawa snarled, pushing Iwaizumi’s hand off his shoulder. The venom in his words was now directed towards the ace. “You’ve been sneaking around for weeks now, barely even _looking_ at me outside of practice because you’re too busy talking to your new buddy, and now you’re calling Tendou from Shiratorizawa, _Satori_? I think I deserve some answers.” The volume of his voice rose as he gestured to the rest of the court. “I think we would all deserve some answers.”

Tendou gulped and stiffly turned his neck to gauge the reactions of his own teammates. Most of his teammates looked shell-shocked. Reon was trying to blink the surprise out of expression, and Goshiki’s mouth stuck wide open as he attempted to process the information. Yamagata looked like he was somewhere between disbelief and hysteria. Instead of the rage Tendou had been expecting, Shirabu was just staring wide-eyed. His eyebrows had skyrocketed into his hairline, and he was mumbling something intelligible as he continued to stare at Tendou.

_At least that’s a better initial reaction than I was expecting. I can work with surprise._

As Tendou sucked in a breath and turned to look at Wakatoshi behind him, he felt his stomach drop. Wakatoshi wasn’t looking at him. Instead, his stormy gaze was fixed on the other side of the net with a jaw clenched tight enough to shatter his teeth. His shoulders were tight with irritation. Panic ran through Tendou’s veins. In all his years of knowing the ace, he had never seen him look so visibly _pissed_.

Tendou’s chest ached with a sudden and sick melancholy. If he didn’t know better, he would think his heart was shattering into millions of pieces.

_How am I going to fix this? How am I going to explain this to him? How—_

“You’re acting like a spoiled brat, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi’s growl snapped Tendou’s attention back to the net. The ace had inserted himself in between Oikawa and the net, which only seemed to cause anger to bleed into his expression. “I don’t have to tell you everything if I don’t want to. I have my own life outside of you.”

“Oh, you’ve made _that_ abundantly clear, Iwaizumi. You clearly don’t need me as your best friend,” Oikawa spat. There was a flash of hurt in his eyes as he uttered the words, but his furious gaze soon flicked back to Tendou, as he hissed, “But as your _captain_ I think it’s important to know if my vice-captain is fucking the enemy.”

Iwaizumi shoved Oikawa away. There was an equal amount of rage and hurt rippling off of him, as he shouted, “Leave Satori out of this, and stop it with the captain bullshit. Just say you’re fucking mad. Why do you always have to drag the team into this? Stop making excuses and own up to your own goddamn emotions, _Oikawa_.”

“So you don’t even try to deny that you’re fucking him?” Oikawa tried to make another step towards Tendou, and Iwaizumi curled his fists into the other man’s jersey to shove him back. His face was curdled with fury, but the shriek of the whistle caused them all to turn their attention towards the referee.

“Time out!”

The coaches were all gathered on the sidelines with the benched players. Exasperation was clear on their faces. Seijoh’s head coach was massaging his temples, which Tendou took to mean that it wasn’t the first time Oikawa and Iwaizumi had gotten into a spat on the court. However, he highly doubted that it had spiraled this out of control. With the coaches’ motion to hurry over, Iwaizumi released Oikawa and shot an apologetic look to Tendou, an unspoken promise that he would help in whatever way he could, before hurrying over to join the rest of Seijoh. Oikawa sent him a scalding glare before trailing after Iwaizumi. The distance between the two was as present physically as emotionally.

With Iwaizumi gone, Tendou felt like his world was crumbling around him. The walls that he had built over the past few weeks to obscure his secret were torn down, and he was left raw and defenseless with nothing but excuses to protect him. All he wanted was to have Iwaizumi’s friendship as a life preserver to keep him from drowning in his sea of inadequacies and unrequited love. A safe place for him to examine his own emotions with a kindred soul where no real-life consequences would come to fruition. When had it gotten so complicated?

A chill crawled up the empty cavity of his chest.

The echoes of his words to Oikawa left a sour aftertaste on his tongue, and the guilt of being the cause of a possibly irreparable fissure between Iwaizumi and his best friend was already starting to gnaw away at him. No matter how much Tendou disliked Oikawa, he hadn’t meant to end a lifelong friendship. He just wanted to taunt the arrogant pretty boy setter, teach him a lesson for all the pain he had caused others, intentionally or not. Tendou hadn’t meant to hurt Iwaizumi like this. Tendou hadn’t meant to ruin everything.

God, and that wasn’t even considering his own team.

If his team didn’t hate him, they surely didn’t trust him anymore. Tendou had intentionally misled most of them and outwardly lied to Semi. He hoped that Semi still held the same sentiment that he had held earlier in the afternoon. Living with him was going to be especially awkward if not. The rest of the team were wildcards, though he was sure that Shirabu would transition to anger after he got over the initial surprise. And Wakatoshi—

God, what was he gonna do about Wakatoshi? He had never seen his friend look so angry, so hurt. He had caused that. He caused that and the fracture in Iwaizumi He was a bad person, too selfish to even consider the consequences of his actions. Maybe it wasn’t too late to transfer to far away school and never look back.

“Tendou, come on. I’m sure Washijou wants us to figure this out quickly.”

Tendou snapped out of his trance to the kind voice of Reon, who had an outstretched arm to him, a peace offering. The gentle look on the other’s face made tears well-up in his eyes as he accepted the arm and looped through his own. All the other members of the team had already shuffled over towards the sidelines. Reon had been the only one to come up to him.

“Yeah,” Tendou croaked out, trying to sound chipper despite the emotion clogging his throat, and turned to face Reon as they began their slow trek to the furious looking Washijo, “Will you give the eulogy at my funeral when Semi and Shirabu ultimately murder me?”

Reon huffed out a laugh, “How about we let you explain yourself first before we jump to murder?”

“That would be preferable,” Tendou’s voice cracked, and he leaned his weight onto Reon’s side as they continued their dirge. They were only a few steps from being in earshot of the rest of the team when Tendou whispered, “Do you hate me?”

“No more than usual.” The tease in Reon’s calm voice put Tendou oddly at ease. “I’m confused about the situation and a little hurt that you didn’t tell us, but I don’t hate you because you’re close to Iwaizumi.” He removed his arm from Tendou’s grasp and gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Give me a little more credit. It’s going to take a lot more than that to drive me away.”

They took the final steps towards the group. Tendou felt his anxiety spike again as Reon nudged him forward before going to stand between Semi and Yamagata. Without Reon’s physical support, he felt strangely vulnerable as all the faces of his teammates and coaches turned to him with an array of expressions.

“Tendou.”

The rasp came from a stoic Washijo. Tendou gulped.

“Yes Coach?”

“Whatever the hell happened out there with the boy from Seijoh, figure it out right here, right now,” Washijo commanded as he gestured to the group, “When the time out ends and you’re back on the court, the issue is over. I won’t have petty high school drama ruin a winning streak. Understand?”

“Yes Coach.”

“Good.” Washijo’s response was curt, and he stomped back to the bench with the assistant coach trailing closely behind, grumbling, “I should’ve coached at university level. This is what you get when you coach high school.”

With the figures of authority gone, Tendou turned to his team. Anxiety was coursing through his veins as he tried to decipher the range of emotions on their faces. Reon still held the calm expression from before, silently urging Tendou to break the awkward tension. Semi stood next to him with arms crossed, his eyes furrowed in worry or disappointment; Tendou couldn’t tell which. Taichi was neutral but his attention was fixed on his redheaded mentor. Shirabu’s face was indiscernible, as if he was refraining from revealing any specific emotion in wake of Tendou’s confession. Yamagata just looked flat out intrigued.

Tendou couldn’t bring himself to turn and look at Wakatoshi’s disappointment.

“So, your little fling is with the ace of Aoba Johsai?” Yamagata broke the silence after a couple more moments of awkward tension, and Tendou saw Semi rub his eyes in exasperation as Taichi bit his lip to hold back a laugh. “He’s a pretty talented volleyball player and not all that bad looking. Gotta say I didn’t see that one coming, but good for you buddy. Oikawa seems like he might cause some issues for you.”

“I’m a better volleyball player.” Tendou almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden growl at his side. Wakatoshi was still refusing to look at him but had somehow still gravitated towards his side. It would’ve made his heart soar with hope if it had not been for his smoldering eyes transfixed on Seijoh yet again. The tendons of the captain’s jaw jumped as he clenched it once again and rumbled, “What do volleyball skills have to do with this situation?”

“Nothing, Wakatoshi.” Yamagata raised his hands in a placating manner, sensing the irritation in the ace’s voice. “Just making an observation to break the tension.” Yamagata turned his attention back to Tendou, trying again to joke, “I do hope that you actually have reasons for choosing Iwaizumi other than volleyball. Otherwise, I think our captain is gonna be a little offended.”

“Volleyball had nothing to do with it actually,” Tendou hummed, slightly relieved that at least Reon and Yamagata seemed to be on his side. Or rather, they weren’t actively against him. However, Wakatoshi’s reaction wasn’t helping ease his mind. The anxiety coursing through his body manifested as his fingers nervously tapped his thigh. “Haji—Iwaizumi is just a surprisingly good person.”

“So,” Shirabu chimed in this time, leaning forward slightly towards Tendou. His eyebrows were furrowed as his calculating eyes studied the redhead before him. The corners of his lips were turned downwards, but Tendou took the lack of outright yelling as a good sign of his temper, “you two _are_ dating?”

“No,” Tendou interrupted quickly as he waved his hands frantically in an ixnaying motion, desperate to clear up the misinterpretation before it spiraled out of control. His hands felt oddly clammy, and his mouth was dry as he rushed to continue, “We’re not dating. We’re just friends, really good friends. Completely platonic.”

“Then why did you keep him a secret?” Shirabu questioned with narrowed eyes and arms crossed over his chest in a defensive manner. There was a certain edge to his voice as he continued, “You’ve been sneaking around and hiding shit from us for weeks because you’re _friends_ with someone from an opposing team? Do you really expect me to believe that?” Shirabu breathed out a sharp chuckle. “What, did you think we were going to ostracize you for having a _friend_?”

“Yes?” Tendou answered lamely, which only seemed to fuel the anger that Shirabu had been attempting to rein in.

“Are you _fucking_ serious.” The remark was biting as the setter’s lips curled into a snarl. “You fucking worried the team for weeks because you thought we couldn’t handle our precious little Tendou having a friend outside of us? Are you fucking with me?”

“Well, okay, no, it’s not that simple— there was this situation,” Tendou knew he was rambling as the words stumbled off of his tongue, clumsy and awkward, “Iwaizumi, he helped me with it. He didn’t have to or want to—well, I guess he technically volunteered himself. The point is he didn’t have to, but he did, and it helped a lot, and we bonded over that—And the situation is still complicated, so I was waiting to figure it out before I introduced Haji—Iwaizumi because it would just complicate everything with all of you, so it just seemed easier to keep the whole thing a secret until the situation resolved itself—”

“What was the situation?” The question was short and unimpressed coming from Shirabu’s lips as he interrupted, and Tendou almost missed the flash of hurt in his expression “What could’ve been so _dire_ that you couldn’t rely on any of us?”

The spit in the redhead’s mouth felt thick as he swallowed. His heart was hammering against the constraints of his chest as his brain tried to craft a reasonable explanation that didn’t involve the truth that he was completely and undeniably in unrequited love with their ace. His eyes flicked over to Wakatoshi who was stock still beside him. Despite listening intently to the conversation, the captain’s glowering eyes had yet to leave their position on Seijoh, and he made no efforts to initiate contact with Tendou like he normally did. Tendou’s heart ached. He glanced back to Shirabu, and all he could muster up was a simple, “I can’t tell you yet.”

The denial of an answer caused Shirabu’s restraint to snap.

“But you can tell Iwaizumi?” The setter’s words were cutting, and Tendou resisted the urge to flinch back. “And you can call him by his first name with no issue in, what, the two months you’ve been talking? But, sure, you’re just _friends_.” The setter made a sweeping hand gesture to the rest of the team. “I guess we’re not your friends then since we’re not on that level.”

Semi stepped forward and placed a calming hand on his bristling boyfriend. His voice was soft and calming as he spoke, “Kenjirou, that’s enough. You’re not exactly alleviating his fears by acting this way.”

Semi’s words caused the younger setter to falter in his attack and withdraw back into the familiar weight of his boyfriend. It was clear that his temper was still raging behind his eyes, but he imprisoned whatever other retorts he had behind his lips as Semi turned his focus onto his redheaded roommate.

“I can’t say I blame you for keeping your friendship a secret after seeing how Oikawa looked ready to trade blows after finding out,” Semi started slowly, swishing the words around on his mouth as he spoke, “But I’m not going to lie and say we all aren’t a little surprised and hurt that you would keep something like this from us,” He side-eyed Shirabu, “Some of us were a little more hurt than they are willing to admit..”

All of his team members nodded their heads slightly as they agreed with Semi’s summation. Guilt welled up in the pit of Tendou’s stomach, mixing with the already existing anxiety to create a disgusting cocktail of self-hatred.

“It wasn’t supposed to get this out of hand, Semisemi.” Tendou’s voice warbled at the use of the familiar nickname. He curled his fingernails into the palm of his hand to ground himself and attempt to fight back the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just all so complicated, and Hajime, he was removed from the situation, so it was easier to talk to him about it. I wasn’t trying to push you away—”

“Please, do not hurt yourself, Tendou.” There was a large hand placed over his own as it peeled back his fingers from where they were digging into his palm. Wakatoshi’s attention had finally left Seijoh and was now transfixed on his face. His expression was softer than before, despite the irritation still burning in the depths of his olive eyes. “We are upset that you kept a secret from us, but we don’t hate you.”

“Okay.”

The shock and relief of Wakatoshi actually speaking to him seemed to overwhelm any other emotions that threatened to spill over. His heart hammered in his chest, and a blush flushed his cheeks as Wakatoshi traced the moon shaped imprints in his palms with large fingers and a frown on his face. The rest of the team was silent as they watched with equal surprise as Wakatoshi suddenly yanked Tendou a step closer, so they were almost nose to nose. Tendou’s complexion matched his hair.

“I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything. I won’t be upset with you,” the ace stated factually. His expression was calm, but there was a certain edge to his voice as he continued, “You don’t need Iwaizumi for that.”

_If only you knew Toshi, you wouldn’t be saying that._

Tendou’s heart threatened to burst from his chest from the sheer proximity of the man. The redhead could smell the hint of pine from his deodorant underneath the scent of sweat, could see the sheen of perspiration that had cooled across the tanned skin of his forehead, could feel the heat of his body that was just inches away from his own. A heart attack was in Tendou’s future if he didn’t pull himself away soon.

_If only you knew._

“I can’t tell you everything, Wakatoshi,” Tendou managed to mumble out and took a step back, attempting to clear his head, “And Hajime is my friend. I’m not going to just stop talking to him.”

Wakatoshi took a step forward, intent to stay in Tendou’s personal space as he looped his hand around his wrist. His expression was pinched with frustration as he rumbled, “Why not? Why can Iwaizumi know but not me?”

“It will just make everything more complicated than it already is right now. You’ve just got to trust me on that. Please, Toshi,” Tendou pleaded. His heart hurt. All he wanted to do was rewind time to an hour ago before everything in his life exploded into whatever clusterfuck was currently occurring around him.

“Fine.”

Wakatoshi regarded him with a frustrated gaze but loosened his grip on Tendou’s wrist and took a step backward. However, his smoldering eyes lifted back up to glare at where Seijoh was finishing up whatever damage control they had decided on. Tendou hoped that the lack of yelling meant that Oikawa had calmed down slightly.

“I’ll try to explain everything better after the game, but right now I just need you to trust me that my relationship with Iwaizumi is purely platonic and that it’s not going to affect my game,” Tendou reasoned as he observed the skeptical faces of his teammates. “Please?”

“Eh, sounds good to me,” Taichi chimed in with his normally bored tone, but he shot Tendou a reassuring grin before continuing, “It’s not like you were going easy on him before you slipped up and revealed the secret, and knowing the information isn’t going to change the outcome.” There was a sudden sinister quirk to his smirk. “And we know where you live, so it’s not exactly like you can escape questioning after the game.”

“You’ve never given me a reason not to rely on you, Tendou-senpai,” Goshiki spoke up for the first time, and there was pride shimmering in his eyes as he flashed his elder a thumbs up before his tone turned scolding, “But we all expect a better explanation after the game.”

“Shirabu?”

The younger setter bristled from his position under Semi’s arm, but spat out, “Fine. Whatever.”

Tendou felt himself relax ever so slightly with the vocal support of his junior and the silent acknowledgment of his fellow classmen. He had bought himself a little bit more time to organize himself before presenting his final defense, and maybe just maybe he could smooth this whole situation over by the end of the night.

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the time out. Tendou took a deep breath, steeling himself for the shitshow that would inevitably occur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!!!
> 
> Hahaha, sorry for the month long break. Programming is hard, and I've been doing it almost all my waking hours since this semester has started. I can't promise that I'll be able to update super consistently, but I can promise that I will update whenever I can. :)
> 
> So, first of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS. HOLY CRAP I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I REREAD EVERY COMMENT. YOU ALL ARE SO KIND AND I THANK YOU IMMENSELY FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. I was actually feeling really burnt out this week from university, but your comments fueled me to finish the update that's been sitting unfinished in my drafts for the past month. I can't tell you how much every individual piece of feedback means to me, and I hope that I continue to write a story you enjoy! :)
> 
> Second of all, thank you to my beta reader. She is just as busy if not more busy than me, but she still makes time to edit and comment on each chapter. Just so you know, my favorite comments of hers from this chapter were "mm spit" and "i need to walk away for a sec and take a break bc i cannot handle". She is an angel sent from above. 
> 
> Also!! I finally made a Twitter for all my anime fixations at @_mini_cactus_ if you want to listen to my lovely thoughts outside of my updates lmao
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading, and I wish you all a wonderful February!! Stay safe and healthy!!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Someone that likes One Piece can’t be all that bad](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28569537) by [LucielN](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucielN/pseuds/LucielN)




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